Leveraging expertise focus of Robins' Partnership Summit Published Oct. 23, 2015 By Jenny Gordon Robins Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- It's about leveraging one another's capabilities, resources and expertise. The Robins Air Force Base Partnership Summit drew more than 100 community and base senior leaders to the Museum of Aviation Oct. 22 to discuss prospective partnerships at Robins. In any given year, the complex conducts about $153 million annually in partnerships. Across the state, Robins has an overall economic impact of $2.7 billion. "It takes all of us to make the mission happen at the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex," said Brig. Gen. Walter Lindsley, WR-ALC commander. Following an overview of some of the major groups on base, Dave Denning with the WR-ALC Partnership and Business Development Branch, discussed some of the documentation needed for partnerships, such as partnership and implementation agreements, as well as the current types of partnerships. Those include direct sales, lease, direct commercial sales and work share partnerships. The Robins Partnering Office maintains 45 existing partnership workloads. The largest is with Boeing Co. and C-17s. "The main reason we partner is to leverage -- to leverage each other's capabilities," said Denning. "These are mutually beneficial arrangements. In the end who benefits from this? Ultimately, our warfighter." Partnering with Robins has several advantages, to include the base's current capabilities with capital investments and state-of-the-art manufacturing and repair opportunities; capacity, with facility square footage and equipment; and a competitive advantage with a skilled, well-trained workforce. Another way the community can partner with the base is on successful existing and future public-public and public-private partnerships. There are currently 114 community agreements in place, with services ranging from fire protection, law enforcement and continuing medical education, to work study internships, youth recreation and library services. Beginning in 2013, Robins was a test base for the Air Force Community Partnership Initiative, created to explore cost-saving opportunities through partnerships and shared services with local communities and the private sector. "It's about the Air Force and the community. Especially here, we are one," said Col. Dawn Lancaster, 78th Air Base Wing vice commander. "Robins Air Force Base and Warner Robins are so tied together that the community named itself after the installation." "This is another avenue to do things smarter and more efficiently," she said. Additional topics discussed included an update on electronic warfare and avionics, the C-130 program, contracting and industry perspectives. This weeks' event was presented in partnership with the Robins Regional Chamber of Commerce's Aerospace Industry Committee.