Council conducts operational review of AFSO 21

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Brou Gautier
  • Smart Operations for the 21st Century Office
BOLLING AIR FORCE BASE, D.C. (AFPN) --  Several top Air Force leaders convened the Air Force Process Council here March 3 for their quarterly operational review of the service's Smart Operations for the 21st century initiatives.

Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. T. Michael Moseley welcomed new council members John H. Gibson II, Gen. C. Robert "Bob" Kehler and Maj. Gen. William T. Lord and introduced Brig. Gen. John Posner as the new director of AFSO 21. 

They joined eight of the Air Force's 13 four-star generals, senior civilian executives, deputy chiefs of staff on the Air Staff directorates and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Rodney J. McKinley to guide and integrate the Air Force's governing, core and enabling processes.

"AFSO 21 is making a positive difference throughout our force," General Moseley said. "The team's balanced approach increases every Airman's productivity and allows them to quit doing activities that don't add value to the mission. It keeps more equipment ready for service with shorter response times, helps eliminate accidents, injuries and breakdowns, and improves energy efficiency."

During this forum, the council engaged in round-table discussions reviewing efficiency gains and progress of initiatives underway. There was a clear effort to drive results by saving Airmen's time, increasing safety, and improving financial performance en route to enhancing total combat capability.

"We continue to see an increase in both the pace and value of process improvement work delivered by our Airmen and discussed across this council," Secretary Wynne said. "I am strongly encouraged by the development of these truly high-value initiatives. Leaders are acting on big opportunities, which are directly linked to strategic priorities and improve our performance bottom line."

A few of the initiatives discussed included:
-- Air Education and Training Command officials streamlining the training pipeline so students get to the fight faster and are more effective in day-one operations.
-- Several commands are operating more efficiently and producing fuel savings.
-- Air Force Space Command officials are converting street lights to energy-saving L.E.D. technology.
-- Air Force Materiel Command officials are using model engine overhaul techniques to free up high-value assets.

Other discussions centered on the progress Airmen made this past quarter.

"Even though there has been a great deal of attention on high-dollar-value initiatives, we can't lose sight of the vital AFSO 21 work done by our front-line Airmen," Secretary Wynne said. "I am excited our Airmen are developing process improvement skills and applying them in ways that reap benefits in both mission capability and quality of life."

Every Airman is encouraged to push innovative ideas through their chain of command or local AFSO 21 office to the Air Staff functional for evaluation of Air Force-wide applicability and possible implementation. 

For more information on the AFSO 21 program, go to the SAF/SO Web site on the Air Force Portal at http://afso21.af.mil. Airmen interested in learning more about the program are also encouraged to join the AFSO 21 Community of Practice forum, which is a link to the CoP available on the SAF/SO portal page. An archive of AFNEWS stories covering AFSO 21 events is located at http://www.af.mil/news/index.asp?catid=248.

AFSO 21 Graph

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