18th AF commander visits Travis

Published Feb. 22, 2007
By Tech. Sgt. Donald Osborn
60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The 18th Air Force commander made an official visit here Feb. 15 to speak with Team Travis members.

Maj. Gen. James Hawkins and his wife Linda made several stops throughout the base and discussed a wide variety of issues to include Travis' mission, AFSO 21 and Lean initiative improvements and quality of life issues for Travis Airmen.

General Hawkins said he was proud of every member of Team Travis and stressed how important our role is in the Global War on Terrorism.

"You're the only base in AMC that has three different types of weapons systems with the C-5, the C-17 and the KC-10," he said. "You can provide air refueling with the KC-10, long range airlift capabilities with the C-5, and you can land on dirt strips in the middle of Afghanistan with the C-17. This is an incredible capability that you all bring to the table."

General Hawkins also commented on how Team Travis has taken a proactive stance on the new AFSO 21 concept and the Lean initiatives that started here and will be implemented throughout the Air Force.

One of the new initiatives the general was excited to tour was the APEX initiative that has been getting attention on every level.

APEX is the Aerial Port Expeditor program and is one of the aspects of AFSO 21. The program takes the loadmasters' ground operating duties and transfers them to the aerial porters. This provides quicker turn around times by enabling the aircrew to cut responsibilities on the ground thus adding the timed saved to flying longer hours. This also reduces the time for crews to enter crew rest at the end of each mission leg.

"This allows the crew to get into crew rest early which impacts how long they can fly and get their job done," General Hawkins said. "With the aerial port taking care of the loading and unloading of the airplane, the crew can fly longer on the other end and get down range faster."

The general continued to say this is just one example of how the new AFSO 21 concept and Lean initiatives work to make Air Force processes better. Travis aircraft now have the capability to spend an average of three to four hours less on the ground. That's three to four more hours they can spend fighting the Global War on Terror instead of sitting on a tarmac. It's ideas such as this that the Air Force and its leaders want their Airmen to bring forth.

"I challenge our Airmen to look at the way they do business at their work centers and to think of different ways they can perform their tasks better," said General Hawkins. "Although I don't want them questioning authority and discipline, I encourage them to tell their supervisor if they think of a better way of doing things."

General Hawkins said AFSO 21 and Lean initiatives are a change in lifestyle for all Airmen. "We need to have a cultural mindset of this change, so we don't drive our people into the ground by doing needless work when we need to make every second count," he said.

In addition to the improvements AFSO 21 has brought to Travis, the general was also impressed with the improvement of the overall quality of life provided to Airmen at Travis since his last visit.

One of the places he visited was the Airman dormitories to survey the self-help projects they completed to improve their living standards.

"The new dorm reception center, the renovated buildings and the new landscaping around the dorms were great," he said. "When we improve the quality of life of our Airmen at home, the qualities of the jobs they perform at work also improve."

With three weapons systems taking the fight to our adversaries, the AFSO 21 and Lean initiatives under way and quality of life improvements here, Travis is setting an example for others to follow.

"I would like to thank everyone at Travis for their dedication in getting the job done," General Hawkins said. "What you all do here is vitally important for the Global War on Terrorism."