Air Force officials announced the five teams chosen for the 2005 Chief of Staff Team Excellence Awards.

The Air Force nominated 15 teams for the awards, which recognize outstanding team performance and promote systematic process improvement. The awards also serve as a means to share best practices and promote mission improvement and cost savings throughout the Air Force.

“It’s exciting to see this level of innovation in our young people,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley. “All these teams, whether they walked away with a trophy or not, they've made us all better. Our Airmen are the best in the world at what they do and their efforts are keeping us out in front as the world’s premier expeditionary force.”

Award winners are:

Space Power Lab team, National Security Space Institute at Colorado Springs, Colo. Team members improved their training processes by developing a scenario-based, interactive modeling and simulation environment that stresses creative thinking and collaborative problem solving. Nine of their 13 space educational courses use the lab to reinforce classroom concepts. This team is also an Air Force Best Practice recipient.

Aging Aircraft Wire/Component Test team, 4th Component Maintenance Squadron, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. Team members researched and procured a commercial tester after identifying more than 34 percent of all aircraft discrepancies were a result of electrical problems. In addition to building connector harnesses to troubleshoot and test aircraft components, team members also used wiring analyzers that saved more than 9,000 man-hours and more than $269,000 in the first six months. This team is also an Air Force Best Practice recipient.

Enterprise Weapon Systems Certification team from the Pacific Air Forces Computer
Systems Squadron at Hickam AFB, Hawaii. After inspections revealed a serious deficiency in mission crew position certifications, team members researched best practices and created a weapons simulator that saves $2 million a year and reduces training time by 45 percent. The scenario-based simulator tests mission crews in different learning environments so they can learn without damaging real-world operations. This team was also recognized as an Air Force Best Practice.

Wheel and Tire Production team, 62nd Maintenance Squadron, McChord AFB, Wash. Team members found a better way to sustain and supply C-17A Globemaster III aircraft wheel and tire assemblies. Using the latest technology, team members cut the buildup and teardown process time by enabling a wheel and tire section of 11 people to operate with five people. The team then established one central supply point, which cut a 16-step supply process down to five steps. This team is also an Air Force Best Practice recipient.

Operational Procedure Emulator team, 381st Training Group at Vandenberg AFB, Calif. Team members enhanced the training mission of intercontinental ballistic missile operators by developing a Web-based, interactive trainer that provides students with instant, hands-on instruction. The trainer, which augments traditional lesson plans with real-world learning situations, led to a 42-percent improvement in comprehension and a 20-percent increase in proficiency.

The judges also recognized the following teams as Air Force Best Practices: The F-15 Central Gearbox Lean team from the 309th Commodities Maintenance Group at Hill AFB, Utah, and the OpsNet team from the 340th Flying Training Group at Randolph AFB, Texas.