AFSO 21 experts tour Robins

  • Published
  • By Wayne Crenshaw
  • 78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFNS) --  Military and civilian leaders came to Robins Air Force Base Dec. 16 to see how Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st century efforts have found better ways to get things done here.

Nineteen general officers toured parts of the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center then spent an afternoon discussing AFSO 21 concepts.

In another tour, a group of current and former civilian industry leaders working for the Air Force's Highly Qualified Experts program toured the 116th Air Control Wing that operates the Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System, as well as the WR-ALC.

Brig. Gen. John Posner, the Air Force Smart Operations director, came to Robins AFB with the two groups along with his deputy director, Dr. Ronald C. "Ron" Ritter. General Posner said Robins AFB was picked for the tour in part because it sets an example of the process improvements that AFSO 21 is seeking, which Mr. Ritter described as trying to do things better, faster and cheaper.

"Robins has a reputation for having started applying these kinds of activities to the way they do business," General Posner said. "A lot of people would argue they have a better record of success in the Air Force than most of the rest of the Air Force."

The general officers group was made up of high-level military and civilian leaders. It included Brenda L. Romine, the Robins AFB executive director, and Brig. Gen. Mark A. Atkinson, the 402nd Maintenance Wing commander here. 

The visitors were looking at Robins AFB to provide them with some trained people that can help institutionalize these concepts throughout the Air Force, General Atkinson said.

"As a team, Robins really is on the leading edge of AFSO 21 implementation throughout the Air Force," General Atkinson said. "That was very evident throughout the course."

He said the course and its content were great, and believes the logistics and maintenance communities are "ahead of the game" compared to the rest of the Air Force. The HQEs were brought here to learn more about the Air Force and to share ideas about process improvements. General Posner said the HQE program was created to help the Air Force improve through "a new set of eyes."

"A lot of people have had the experience of walking into an organization fresh, with fresh perspective, and not inculcated into what that organization has been doing for a long period of time," General Posner said. "They can see things that folks in the organization that are ingrained and entrenched in that organization can't see anymore."

The four HQEs -- Don Doles, Craig Habakangas, Maria Elena Stopher and Matthew Bohnert -- all said they entered the program in large part because they want to give back to the country by offering their experience to the Air Force.

Mr. Doles, who is retired from a tool-making company, said he hopes he can contribute to improving the way the Air Force does things.

"It's really about creating the culture of how do we do work and how do we get better about doing work," he said.

Considering how many highly trained, experienced people are in the Air Force, Mr. Doles said not everyone is necessarily enthused about taking advice from an outsider.

"It's a spectrum," Mr. Doles said in describing the reactions he gets when communicating with Air Force personnel, "all the way from people who are absolutely excited and pushing the ball up hill to people who think this is just another program and they can outlast it. I will say that the leadership has been very supportive." 

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