AFMC leaders plot 'One Materiel Command' course

Published Dec. 11, 2006
By John Scaggs
Air Force Materiel Command Public Affairs

HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- "Pushing widgets out your door but having those widgets stack up in front of another Air Force Materiel Command unit's door really hasn't helped the enterprise."

With that statement, Gen. Bruce Carlson, AFMC commander, explained his concept of 'One Materiel Command' to 103 AFMC senior leaders here Dec. 5. The occasion was the AFMC Senior Leaders Conference. This semiannual event fosters a cross flow of information on current and future issues facing AFMC and the Air Force through a variety of briefings and small group sessions. The conference concluded Dec. 7.

Attendees included AFMC center commanders, air base wing commanders, command chief master sergeants and Headquarters AFMC staff. Topics ranged from the state of Air Force acquisition, to AFMC metrics, to the command's Centralized Asset Management Program, or CAMP. But the conference theme of "Leadership in One Materiel Command" was at the forefront.

"We do a lot of great things in the command," said General Carlson. "But we're not there yet as far as being a complete team across the enterprise. To get there, our work force needs to understand that we cannot keep operating as separate communities but must instead operate as 'One Materiel Command'."

The general emphasized that 'One Materiel Command' is a concept, not a reorganization. It's designed to help achieve an enterprise perspective. The concept includes four components:
> 'One Materiel Command' is a mindset, not an organizational entity.
> It's an enterprise-level vision; bigger than AFMC.
> It presents a unified message to external stakeholders, such as warfighting commands.
> It drives seamless life cycle management, from technology development through system disposal.

This perspective relies on AFMC's ongoing efforts to improve processes.

"Customer needs change with technology," said General Carlson. "However, AFMC must still develop and deliver warfighting capabilities to the customer."

To help AFMC's senior leaders with the 'One Materiel Command' concept, General Carlson provided these points.

For senior leaders:
> Understand and embrace where we're headed and why.
> Spread the word about how AFMC efforts fit together.
> Understand the total enterprise, not just your mission area.

For their organization:
> Find ways to improve horizontal integration across the enterprise.
> Continue process efforts but realize that shop level isn't good enough.

For their people:
> Build relationships across mission areas.
> Ensure their key people have an enterprise-level perspective.

Making AFMC a better organization is the goal.

"We know we have to cut costs to develop and sustain warfighting systems," General Carlson said. "We also know it's possible to be more effective and more efficient than we currently are. 'One Materiel Command' is a method to help us get where we want to be."