AMC team wins top CSAF 'Team of Excellence' award

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Jess Harvey
  • Air Force Public Affairs Agency
The Air Mobility Command Electronic Flight Bag Team from Scott Air Force Base, Ill., won the 2012 Chief of Staff Team Excellence Award awarded by the Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III Nov. 28 at the Pentagon.

Each year, since its inception in 1992, the Chief of Staff Team Excellence Award has been presented by the chief of staff to a team that uses a systematic approach to enhance mission capability, improve operational performance and create sustained results.

Twelve teams competed for the award and their combined process improvements resulted in more than $1 billion potential savings and cost avoidance for the Air Force.

The runners-up were the Base Realignment and Closure Air Force Research Laboratory Radar Relocation Project Management Team, Stewart Air National Guard Base, N.Y. and the B-2 Window Change Continuous Process Improvement Team, 509th Maintenance Group, Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.

The 21-member, AMC Electronic Flight Bag Team worked to deliver a single, automated platform to consolidate paper flight references for 16,000 aircrew members, 100 units and 5 major commands. The team developed requirements, established a communications plan, managed delivery logistics, and gained approval "against the grain of a Microsoft culture and outdated security policies," according to the award. Their team successfully delivered the iPad as the mobility air forces first electronic flight bag in June 2012.

The first runner up was the BRAC AFRL Radar Relocation Project Management Team, who executed resources to provide technical, logistical and systems modifications for therelocation of four radar systems at Rome, N.Y. to a modernized facility at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. They provided a total organic solution, eliminating costly contract services, while the Air Force gained a world-class sensors research facility at a savings of $20-30 million.

The second runner up was the B-2 Window Change Continuous Process Improvement Team, 509th Maintenance Group, Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. The team is comprised of 16 active duty, guard and civilian personnel, who worked togetherto streamline the complex, 40-day, multi-AFSC B-2 Spirit window change task . They reduced overall aircraft downtime by 33 percent. They also assembled a stand-alone, deployable toolkit for the job, enabling the 509th Maintenance Group at Whiteman AFB to cut 617 miles of travel, save $80,000 per event and increase the overall availability of the base's B-2 Spirit fleet

Guidelines for the award are available in AFI 36-2868, Chief of Staff Team Excellence Award. For more information on Air Force awards and personnel issues go the Air Force personnel services website at https://gum-crm.csd.disa.mil.