EIO Program highlights MSG best practices

Published Dec. 5, 2006
By Col. Leonard Patrick
Air Mobility Command Expeditionary Combat Support

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Air Mobility Command Mission Support Group commanders recently traveled to five AMC bases to learn about and evaluate best practices as part of the annual Excellent Installation Orientation Program.

As part of his year's program, the commanders visited MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.; McGuire AFB, N.J.; Grand Forks AFB, N.D.; Fairchild AFB, Wash; and McChord AFB, Wash.

For the past four years, MSG commanders have participated in the program, traveling to five AMC bases in as many days in search of new technologies and Lean events that produce innovative business practices. The program allows the commanders first-hand exposure to model programs and premiere facilities outside of their organizations and serves as an opportunity for peers to gain from the synergies of exploring resourceful solutions to real challenges.

Col. Nick Desport, commander of the 437th MSG at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., believed the group surpassed their goals.

"The program gets better each year," said Colonel Desport. "We're all using successes at other bases to spawn new business models for our own bases."

During the visit, if a program had the potential for command-wide benefits, it became a "benchmark candidate." If a business practice showed extreme merit, but needed to be tweaked for application at other bases, it was called an "initiative." This year the EIO Program identified seven benchmarks and 12 initiatives. One of the benchmarks includes the cleaning and reuse of large vehicle air filters.

"We adapted this program from heavy equipment operators and now we hope to share it across AMC," said Col. Carla Gammon, commander of the 319th MSG, Grand Forks AFB, N.D. "By using this and adopting other commercial practices, AMC can expect significant savings."

Another benchmark improves expeditionary combat support skills while also enhancing base security and weapons skills by using the Firearms Training Simulator. The FATS is loaded with thousands of interactive and customized video based scenarios, in which Airmen across many functional backgrounds can become proficient in tactics, procedures and weapons handling for homeland and expeditionary bases. The added benefit is that all of this takes place within a safe and controlled environment.

Like the Phoenix Stripe and High Flight programs, the EIO Program focuses on the cross feeding of information and sharing experiences to better serve the command. Col. Brad Spacy, commander of the 375th MSG at Scott AFB, Ill., indicated that the diverse functional backgrounds of the MSG Commanders collectively provide AMC wings the ability to overcome any challenge. The investment into process improvements through the EIO Program has already resulted in resource savings throughout the command and this year's benchmarks and initiatives promise to do more of the same.