WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio-- More than 90 subject matter experts from across the command convened at Air Force Materiel Command Headquarters, Aug. 16-18, to collaborate on potential solutions to improve the supply chain readiness rate across the enterprise.
Gen. Duke Z. Richardson, AFMC Commander, tasked subject matter experts across the command to examine supply rate barriers and find new ways to improve current supply rates. The result was a cross-functional Supply Readiness and Resiliency Sprint, aiming to drive operational efficiency and ultimately availability for reparable and consumable parts for sustainment.
“We owe this to the warfighter as we return to a warfighting culture that embraces the challenge of being innovative and challenging in the face of uncomfortable truths,” said Terri Huber, Chief of Business Operations, AFMC. “This will not be a one-fix response but will involve short-term, mid-term, and long-term initiatives driving towards collaborative goals.”
A sprint is a short-term event that brings a cross-funtional team together to focus on addressing a specific problem or issue within a defined time frame. Sprints force teams to focus on a specific problem and drive decision-making, ultimately forcing them to act on an issue. A sprint places a problem in focus so it can progress to resolution.
During the AFMC SRRS, subject matter experts collectively pitched solutions that addressed policy, supply chain processes, data and information technology, and resourcing for leadership to explore further.
The goal of the SRRS was to exemplify a unified commitment across the command to the warfighter and enhance AFMC’s ability to sustain war-winning capabilities.
The SRSS was facilitated by the AFMC Commander’s Accelerated Initiatives office, with support from Air Force Tesseract and the Secretary of the Air Force Business Transformation office. Each of these organizations work to support Airmen-driven innovation and process change across the enterprise.
In addition to Richardson, leaders on the SRRS panel included Lorna B. Estep, AFMC Executive Director; Dr. Lyndon K. McKown, AFMC Deputy Director of Logistics, Civil Engineering, Force Protection and Nuclear Integration; and Brig. Gen. Mark V. Slominski, AFMC Mobilization Assistant to the Commander.
AFMC leadership is in the process of reviewing the SRSS recommendations for implementation. Ultimately, the event provided a baseline set of solutions for improving AFMC support to the warfighter.