ArticleCS

APS 'Lean' initiatives make the final cut

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Kevin Wallace
  • 436th AW Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  A movie production crew filmed some of Team Dover's "Lean" initiatives for a new Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century video, which is scheduled to be used AF wide.

Spotlighted in the video were the state-of-the-art operations currently being utilized in the 436th Aerial Port Squadron.

Though Dover's APS has many bells and whistles, it's their bustling real-world operations that made them prime for this movie, said Col. Chris Doran, who flew out from Air Mobility Command Headquarters at Scott AFB, Ill., to take part in the video and help mold the future of AFSO-21 initiatives.

"We're a stressed team now as we have several Airmen deployed to the Central Command [Area of Responsibility], so we've got to work smarter," Colonel Doran said. "We are in a sustainment war and moving tons of cargo through our ports - as such we have less people at home. We need to slash the waste out of our processes and AFSO-21 is critical to this mission."

In Colonel Doran's opinion, there's no base in the command better suited to be showcased in the video than Dover, he said.

"I've seen the results here first hand and we've saved countless man hours on the flightline," said the colonel. "AMC chose Dover because it is the ultimate show base with state-of-the-art facilities and a huge operation. Dover has the newest and most advanced air terminal, and has successfully applied AFSO-21 to many of its operations."

A base porter agreed.

Dover is the largest, most technologically advanced Aerial Port in the Department of Defense, said 1st Lt. Donna Besley, 436th APS Resource and Readiness Flight commander. Dover plays a critical role in getting cargo to the warfighters.

"Failure in our mission could mean death to the warfighter," she said, a charge that her unit does not take lightly.

In a sense APS Airmen are their own customers as, at any given time, more than 100 porters are deployed downrange, Lieutenant Besley said.

The lieutenant understands that the tireless efforts her Airmen put forth here means life or death for her deployed Airmen and all servicemembers in the AOR. "Innovation on the outside affects our operations in APS. When new body armor became available, we surged to get the armor downrange," she said.

Since AFSO-21 encourages ideas from members of all ranks, junior Airmen feel they have an avenue to contribute directly to the processes used in their Air Force.

"Little ideas can have great power," said Lt. Col. William Peterson, 436th APS commander. "Little ideas grouped together have a synergistic affect and become big ideas. As such, there really are no little ideas."

One of Colonel Peterson's junior enlisted Airmen agreed, and said that AFSO-21 impacts her directly.

"People do not like change but it's important to be positive," said Senior Airman Evon Pretulak, Fleet Services training manager. "If I can affect all the Airmen here and downrange in the AOR then I feel I am empowered. AFSO21 gives me that power."

Streamlining processes gets Airmen out to the aircraft faster, Airman Pretulak said. Unchecked speed can be a recipe for disaster and supervisors ensure they maintain the highest standards in their processes.

"Safety is still the primary concern," said Colonel Peterson. "We can find better ways and faster ways to achieve our mission but we will never compromise safety in the implementation of AFSO21 ideas."