Air Force Global Strike Command has added a new value to the command’s core values: “persistent innovation at all levels,” announced officials with the organization. This value ties to the idea that every airman is an innovator that Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh put forth in the newest Air Force Vision document, released in January, according to an AFGSC release. “Our airmen are entrusted with the special trust and responsibility for the most powerful weapons in our nation’s arsenal,” said Lt. Gen. James Kowalski, AFGSC commander. “By constantly looking for ways to do this better, we are continuing an Air Force culture of innovation and excellence,” he added. Global Strike Command oversees the nation’s nuclear-capable bombers and Minuteman III ICBMs. Kowalski said encouraging innovations that create more efficiency is even more important in a time of fiscal austerity. To foster innovation, the command has instituted a program called Strike Now that enables airmen and their supervisors to submit ideas for process improvements directly to command headquarters, states the March 7 release. (Barksdale report by Carla Pampe)
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.