Air Force sharpens competitive edge with roadmap to reform

  • Published
  • Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
The Air Force released its first business operations plan, March 4, establishing a roadmap for reform and improvement in its practices and processes.

“This plan clearly articulates how we are getting ready to meet the challenges of an era of great power competition,” said Under Secretary of the Air Force Matthew P. Donovan.

The two-year plan outlines measureable goals and clear lines of accountability to improve internal operations within the service. Some of the plan’s objectives include boosting aviator retention, adding family support programs, increasing data availability and implementing conditions-based aircraft maintenance.

“Sharpening the Air Force’s competitive edge means building a more lethal, ready force for the high-end fight,” Donovan said. “It means reforming everything from organizational structures to outdated policies so our warfighters can increase their effectiveness … while remaining good stewards of the taxpayer dollar.”

The Air Force has nested its business operations under the National Defense Strategy and service strategic focus areas, concentrating on three lines of effort: rebuilding readiness and increasing the lethality of the force, strengthening alliances and attracting new partners and reforming business practices for greater performance and affordability.

The plan, which spans fiscal years 2019 – 2021, is designed to be a management tool; specifically, it provides a cross-cutting framework to synchronize business operations across different organizational and functional boundaries and assign offices of primary responsibility.

The under secretary of the Air Force, in his role as the department’s chief management officer, will lead the plan’s implementation. He will also oversee updates to the plan on a bi-annual basis and address emerging environmental and strategic factors.

On a quarterly basis, leaders responsible for Air Force business operations objectives will report progress through the Air Force Productivity Council for accountability and ongoing metrics.

The entire plan is available in the related link section.