Managing the transition Published May 15, 2009 By Lt. Col. Michael Shea 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) -- As we start the next air and space expeditionary force rotation, are you and your organization ready? We make it look easy at times, but it takes a lot of preparation to keep up the pace of operations we have set. Each cycle we demand maximum effort from everyone for a limited period of time. It reminds me of a relay race: a team of people going at top speed who work together to reach the finish line first. We are in a long, tough race. Our goal in the race is to win the war. We can do that by flying the air tasking order every day. We make it manageable by breaking it down into segments: our AEF rotations. Just like a relay race, each segment is critical to winning the race. As individuals, we are the runners in the race. We have been training for this race since we joined the Air Force, just like an elite runner trains for the big race. We strive to become the best, most disciplined individuals with our unique sets of talents, ready to join the fight. We accomplish this through disciplined training. Runners train together, but still compete against each other. We often do the same, competing against each other, with the intent to push each other to a higher level. When we join the same team we have a pretty good understanding of the skills that each team member brings to the table. Each of us may have a slightly different role, but ultimately we all have the same goal, win the war. After we've trained for a while, we're ready to join the fight. We learn where our place on the team is within our AEF. We begin by training together before we deploy, so we can give the best, most focused effort and form the best team possible, to ensure we win our segment of the race. We learn to merge our talents and skills in the best possible way for the team. The relay race is broken into two distinct parts; the sprint and the exchange of the baton. The sprint is what we do for the majority of our time deployed. That is the part that we train so hard for every day in order to be able to go full speed. The key to the successful race, though, is a flawless baton handoff. Like a race, the most critical juncture for us is the transition between AEFs. We have all the tools we need for a flawless handoff; it now becomes a matter of execution. Our skills and talents enable us to enter the fight at full speed and complete the transition. The change between AEF rotations is critical to continuing the support of the air tasking order uninterrupted. It is a tightly orchestrated set of actions between the two AEFs, with the ultimate goal to not adversely affect the overall operation. The racer handing off the baton knows he is at the end of his point in the race and has to finish strong. At the same time, his partner has to be sprinting full out from the minute he takes the baton in order not to detract from the goal. We know what the game plan is. We know the mechanics of the handoff. The question is how disciplined were we in our approach to the training required, to transition into the next phase without slowing the pace? We know when and where the transition will take place, just like in a race; it is up to us to ensure we maintain the discipline that leads to a good, orderly transition. When you have a flawless handoff in a race between two highly skilled and trained athletes, the pace of the race is unabated and they win. However, if they can't make that handoff smoothly, then the race is lost. Just like the athlete, we've received our training, it is now up to us to execute the transition in order to continue to fly the air tasking order every day and win the war. Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link) View the comments/letters page