Weather Airmen help ensure flight safety

by Senior Airman Areca T. Wilson
31st Fighter wing Public Affairs

4/10/2015 - AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy -- For many, knowing weather conditions before leaving home can make a difference between deciding to wear a jacket or shorts. These concerns pale in comparison to Airmen of the 31st Operations Support Squadron weather flight, who provide information on atmospheric conditions that may impact the pilots operating in the skies.

Aviano's weather forecasters also deliver staff support to the 31st Fighter Wing and act as a liaison to the 21st Operational Weather Squadron for 24/7 base resource protection, during installation closures.

"Weather impacts everything, and we [can't] control it," said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Aaron Antwine, 31st OSS weather forecaster. "The best we can do is forecast conditions that have the potential to impact operations and provide the information to pilots, planners and leadership to help mitigate Mother Nature's effects."

Weather Airmen help foresee conditions by analyzing high-resolution satellite imagery, using next-generation radar, monitoring upstream observations and gathering information to produce high-quality airspace forecasts. This information is then relayed to pilots for flying missions and is used to issue warnings, watches and advisories for adverse weather conditions affecting Aviano.

Though each period of the year comes with its own challenges, Antwine said the summer months are the busiest.

"Due to Aviano's close proximity to the Alps and the Adriatic Sea, thunderstorms can develop almost every afternoon and last into the evening," he said. "The heavy rain from thunderstorms can prevent pilots from landing on the runway causing them to divert to another airfield. Hail and strong winds can damage aircraft and cause injuries. Our job is to mitigate the effects of these hazards with updates to our pilots and weather warnings for the base."

In addition to unique challenges during each season, Antwine said the main obstacle faced daily is the constantly changing weather.

"Weather is never the same day-to-day. It is similar, but never the same," he said. "Today is a sunny day and tomorrow too, but temperatures, dew points, cloud cover, wind direction or speed or any other number of variables will change."

To provide the best report, Antwine said he and his fellow Airmen maintain situational awareness, remain vigilant in their watch and continue to train, to accomplish the mission.

"We have to be able to tell a pilot when thunderstorms are going to develop over the airfield and how long they will last," he said. "The mission, operations and even lives are dependent on how accurate our forecasts can be."

Chapel offers all of 'RUfit?' domains

by Staff Sgt. Zachary Wolf
65th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

4/10/2015 - LAJES FIELD, Azores, Portugal  -- Labored breathing echoes throughout the woods as an Airman takes cover behind a tree while yelling can be heard about the position of friendlies and the enemies. The sun streaks through the trees giving light to the battlefield. One Airman is hit and yells while his teammates flank the opposing team. The first Airman keeps his head down as paintballs whiz by with the objective merely 10 yards away. His task is to get the flag and return to his base with it. He calls for covering fire as he runs up a small tower to grab the flag. He unties it and makes a break for it while calling to his teammates to fire as he dashes towards his base. He makes it back and a whistle is blown ending the game. This was the scene for one of the many games played when the Protestant Men of the Chapel offered a free men's paintball outing in April. With USAFE's continued focus of RUFit?, Airmen may be surprised that the chapel hosted a paintball trip in order to increase physical, social and spiritual resiliency.

"The chapel offers programs that give Airmen the opportunity to socially have fun in a friendly, alcohol-free environment," said Chaplain (Maj.) Kenneth Johnson, 65th Air Base Wing, Wing Chaplain. "We offer game nights, Airmen's lunches and retreats which all fit in the RUFit? model, socially and spiritually. Our men's group recently took over 20 young people on a paintball outing which included lunch, all at no cost to the Airmen. They had clean fun and good fellowship."

Through games, activities and discussions, the chapel is able to reach into the physical and mental domains.

"We support the physical side through retreats and workshops," Johnson said. "The retreats and workshops have a spiritual component, but also often have physical activities and discussions incorporated throughout that will challenge the Airmen in the other domains."

These domains not only benefit the Airmen and their families, but also help chaplains and their staff get their foot in the door and become more approachable.

"We know that we have to meet Airmen where they are and offering the other domains may put them at ease, if the time arises to seek counsel from a chaplain," Johnson said. "It also builds camaraderie, esprit de corps and morale, which all impact the Lajes mission."

The chapel and its programs are often branded with a stigma as only offering the spiritual domain of the RUFit? model. Chaplain Johnson says that it can be a challenge to find creative ways to "de-construct this stigma."

"The fact is, when you look the Chaplain Corp's current strategic priorities from Air Staff, none of them focus on 'chapel base ministry' or spiritual programs," Johnson said. "The strategic priorities have evolved into five areas."

Three primary areas of the five that are focused on here at Lajes are "Warrior care," "Advise leadership" and "Care for the caregivers."

Warrior care is defined as caring for Airmen and their families in operational and training organizations, counseling and support during deployment cycles, and providing religious services and programs as needed.

Advising leadership is a role where the chaplains advise leaders, on all levels, in managing religious affairs within the leader's scope of responsibility. They also give advice on the morale and spiritual welfare of their Airmen and families.

Care for the caregivers is the idea where provision comes in opportunities for self-care and team care for the chapel staff, especially after supporting a traumatic event and reintegration.

The chapel staff has found some innovative ways to offer this resiliency-based program to the Airmen at Lajes.

"We are in a unique position here because we have an authorized industrial kitchen, which opens the door to many activities," Johnson said. "We also can be creative about the activities we provide. We have had retreats on two of the other islands and also have visited the Seven Churches in Turkey."

The chapel continues to look for these innovative ideas and asks for help on what Airmen want to see them offer so they can meet the needs of the Airmen.

"We would like to see future activities designed with the Airmen's input," Johnson said. "On our last trip to San Miguel, many of the Airmen expressed interests in nature walks and hiking as a form of spiritual resiliency. This information is useful in planning for future chapel sponsored activities."

While the chapel offers these programs, chaplains are always there to talk to about anything an Airman may face.

"The chaplains provide privileged communication and is one of the primary ways we provide warrior care and serve our Airmen," Johnson said. "The military member or his or her family member can share privileged communication and it is 100 percent confidential and protected. The member owns the privileged communication and the chaplain cannot share the communication without written consent from the member. I always encourage Airmen to take advantage of the programs the chapel offers, even if he or she does not have a faith background. Most importantly, if by chance there is a life-changing event or you need to speak with someone in confidence, seek your military chaplains, we are here for you."

Team Osan begins 51 Days of Resiliency

by Staff Reports
51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs

4/13/2015 - OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea  -- Team Osan kicked off their 51 Days of Resiliency campaign with an installation-wide formation followed by a fun run and family festivities April 10 at Osan Air Base.

The campaign, designed to encourage the honing of mental, social, spiritual and physical resilience, will charge through May 31. 

Throughout this expansive and unprecedented program, Team Osan is set to stampede to the front with almost two months of daily activities and offered programs in an effort to foster resiliency skills across all members.

"People are the greatest strength of any team and it is even more so at Team Osan," said Col. Brian Carr, 51st FW vice commander. "Guarding the freedom of 51 million people necessitates a strong operations tempo with our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, civilians, and families experiencing full and rewarding days. Although extremely fulfilling, you must also take time for regular maintenance."

The intent of this campaign is to make everyone aware of the base's Community Action Program which focuses on reducing alcohol related incidents, improving physical fitness, and emphasizing the opportunities and benefits of volunteering.

The 51st FW CAP is a useful tool helping enable all members of Team Osan to make sound choices.

"We want to highlight all the great organizations that are here to help and care for us by pulling out all the stops to make sure everyone knows about all the programs, classes, events and services offered by our helping agencies," said Carr.

"My husband and our children just recently moved here," said Aimee Johnson. "We are excited to see what activities are available over the next few weeks."

There are many military focus areas in the month of April including, Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, Month of the Military Child, Alcohol Awareness Month, National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and Mental Health Month.

Yet, as the Mustangs yet again lead the charge in these areas, they're encouraged to strengthen their resolve and resiliency at even greater rates in the upcoming 51 days, ensuring that the base, and team, remain a pillar of excellence in the Republic of Korea, and Air Force.

JBLM children experience the deployment process

by Master Sgt. Todd Wivell
62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs

4/13/2015 - JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- The deployment process for most Airmen on McChord Field is routine. They proceed through the deployment processing line, get their equipment issued, are verified current on all of their records and then start their journey off to their deployed location.

Statistics show that military members with families often struggle during the deployment, especially when it is the first time Mom or Dad are gone for that long.

In an effort to help JBLM families understand the deployment process and to help with that struggle, JBLM hosted the Kids Understanding Deployment Operations event, April 11 at McChord Field.

More than 200 children, ages 5-12, of Soldiers and Airmen participated in the KUDOs event in which they processed through the deployment line, got equipment and gear issued to them, boarded a bus and transported to and back from a special deployment location on McChord Field.

Five different chalks, groups of children, processed through the deployment processing line in which they received helmets, dog tags, t-shirts, special paperwork military members receive on deployments, water bottles and other equipment.

From there the children, by themselves and without their parents, boarded a military 44-passenger bus and were transported to their special deployed location, which was Hangar 9 on McChord Field.

Once off the bus, they were greeted by Col. Chuck Hodges, JBLM installation commander, who welcomed them to their deployed location and gave them a small brief on what to expect.

Immediately inside the hangar the first thing they did was to get camo paint on their faces, from there they went to different statics around the hangar which included explosive ordinance disposal, the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron, a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft and the JBLM Fire Department.

While in the hangar they had a chance to watch a small K-9 dog demonstration and participate in a bag drag race as well.

To finish off their process, volunteers served them a free lunch from the Pacific Northwest United Service Organizations.

As they finished their meals and right before boarding the bus to depart their deployed location, they were met by Col. David Kumashiro, 62nd Airlift Wing commander, who thanked them for their service and for being a part of this deployment process. He presented each of them with a small doll that they could use when their Mom or Dad deployed in the future.

The buses then drove them back to the deployment processing line and the children were met by their parents who greeted them with welcome home signs as if the children were returning from a true deployed location.

"This event was a huge success and we met our goal in helping children understanding what their parents go through when they deploy," said Tech Sgt. Nalopa Hansen, KUDOs lead coordinator. "This was a great event for the first time here at JBLM and we look forward to when we can do this again."

Springtime weather means pothole repair for 773d CES Airmen

773d Civil Engineer Squadron

4/13/2015 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Alaska's extreme temperature fluctuations create numerous potholes.

Cold weather freezes moisture in the ground, causing it to expand and crack the asphalt surface.

More water then penetrates the crack and further deteriorates the pavement over time.

The combination of freezing and thawing, water and the flow of traffic, creates potholes. But if they are identified and repaired in a timely manner, their severity will be reduced.

Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson has more than 120 miles of paved road and a climate which is hard on pavement, so potholes may appear before the 773d Civil Engineer Squadron's Horizontal Section completes a road maintenance inspection.

If you are the lucky finder of a pothole, there are two basic steps to take.

First, take note of the hole's location; be specific and provide a street name, intersection, or nearby building number.

Second, if the hole is in a housing area, contact Aurora Housing at 753-1091; for all other JBER roads, call the 773d CES pothole repair line, 552-2994. The hotline is operating 24 hours a day until May 1, when the section moves to summer hours, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The section's goal is to repair potholes within 24 hours of notification. However, due to mission constraints and weather, it may take longer. The location of a pothole may also require time to coordinate traffic-control devices so repair crews and motorists are safe.

Initiative Provides Incremental Acquisition Improvement

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, April 13, 2015 – The basic idea behind the Defense Department’s Better Buying Power initiative, now entering its third iteration, has been to improve acquisition through continuous improvement in many areas simultaneously, the Pentagon’s acquisition chief said here today.

Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, discussed acquisition reform and the tenets of Better Buying Power 3.0 in a speech at the Brookings Institution – a public policy think tank located here.

“Underlying all of the Better Buying Power initiatives has been the idea that the way you … improve acquisition is through a process of continuous improvement,” he said. “The way to make progress is to make incremental progress in lots of different areas all at the same time.”

Kendall said he’s seen many “fads” regarding acquisition reform that have attempted to do a few big things in trying to make a huge difference.

“History doesn’t suggest that that’s a success,” he told the audience. “In fact, it’s suggested when you try to move everything in the same direction and sort of adopt a uniform policy, you tend to do as much breakage as you do fixing of things. And you have to be very careful about that.”

Kendall said that’s been the idea with Better Buying Power since the initiative debuted about five years ago, when Defense Secretary Ash Carter was the department’s top acquisition official.

Legislation A Limited Tool

Kendall applauded the amount of discussion about acquisition reform that has included members of Congress, but he added that he thinks legislation is limited in what it can do.

Citing his own background as an engineer and technical manager, Kendall said “there’s very little that you can do from the point of view of legislation that will make somebody a better engineer, or a better program manager, or a better contracting person.”

“At the end of the day,” he said, “whether you’re in industry or government, that’s the sort of thing we have to have. We have to have people who are very, very good at what they do.”

Increasing Professionalism

One of the fundamentals of Better Buying Power, Kendall said, is the increased emphasis on professionalism and on building professionalism within the workforce.

“There’s an awful lot that I can do with existing legislative authorities,” he said, “but there are some things that I can’t do. I can’t, for example, remove some of the things that burden our program managers.” One initiative DoD officials shared with the House Armed Services Committee is designed to remove some of the overhead placed on the department’s people that actually distract them from doing their real jobs, Kendall said.

Motivated by Technological Superiority

Kendall said innovation is a key component of Better Buying Power 3.0. “That’s, I think, part of a growing recognition that we do have a problem with technological superiority,” he added. “The thing that motivated me more than anything else to do another edition … of Better Buying Power was that concern.”

The initiative, Kendall said, is set up with a “punchline” of achieving dominant capabilities through technical excellence and innovation. “That’s a return to focusing attention on the products that we build,” he said, “and the superiority of those products relative to potential adversaries.”

Kendall said while earlier versions of Better Buying Power were about efficiency, productivity and professionalism, version 3.0 is a “change back toward thinking about our products and focusing particularly on the results we’re trying to achieve.”

Better Buying Power’s Cultural Aspect

A cultural aspect also runs through every version of Better Buying Power, Kendall said.

The first version emphasized cost consciousness and best buying practices, he said, and the second iteration moved in the direction of professionalism and judgment.

“Now in 3.0,” Kendall said, “it’s a focus on a culture of technical excellence, which is the fundamental thing underpinning of 3.0. I want to emphasize more than anything else this is more about continuity than about change.

“The idea here is a shift in emphasis -- not a fundamental break with what we’ve been doing in the past,” he continued. “It’s a realignment and a slight shift in direction, but not a fundamental change.”

Grooming Potential Workforce

In addition to discussing Better Buying Power 3.0, Kendall noted a longer-term concept: the need for science, technology, engineering and math education.

For the sake of the country, the economy, quality of life and national security, he said, it’s “very important that this country develop and nurture people who are going to go into these fields and contribute to our society.”

“The department has a limited role in that, but it has a role that matters,” he said. “You need to capture people when they’re young, or you’re not going to capture them.”

While it’s not impossible to go back and get the necessary technical courses after high school, Kendall said, it’s difficult. “It’s best if you start out and get those courses that you need to put you on the track to be in a technical field earlier on,” he said.

Critical thinking: you can decide

by Air Mobility Command Enterprise Learning Office

4/13/2015 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- According to the Air Mobility Command Enterprise Learning Office, Airmen who practice effective critical thinking skills accomplish the mission more safely and effectively, while also saving resources.

AMC's goal is to foster an environment where Airmen are encouraged to learn how to think critically and then use those abilities at work and at home.

What is critical thinking? Many Airmen may not fully understand what critical thinking means, or how they can incorporate it into what they do.

The AMC ELO defines critical thinking as using one's mental skills and strategies in a way that contributes to the richness and accuracy of understanding.  It's a disciplined form of thinking that is rational, open-minded, informed by evidence, purposeful, reasoned and goal oriented. Critical thinking can apply to all facets of life and is one of the key traits to good problem-solving skills and resiliency.

Critically thinking is a learning process. It requires practice and experience.

"AMC Airmen are accomplished warriors, but sometimes with the high ops tempo they forget to stop and take the time to make the best decisions, both personally and professionally," said William Hammerli, AMC ELO strategic planner. "Thinking critically adds to an Airman's capabilities and allows every Airman to give their best."

He also added, "In another sense, critical thinking makes you a juror of your own actions and thoughts."

Critically thinking allows you to understand a situation and equips Airmen to consider all possibilities. Every Airman is essential in accomplishing the Air Force mission. Critical thinking may be the difference between life and death, on or off duty.

To facilitate the development of critical thinking, the AMC ELO developed a critical thinking toolkit with a series of tools and modules that challenge all Airmen to enhance their skills.

The toolkit was sent to AMC wings October 2014 and is available on SharePoint.

In addition, ELO is adding a Critical Thinking toolkit within the Advanced Distributed Learning Service enterprise.   

Hammerli spoke with AMC community support coordinators and master resiliency trainers from across the command, about the toolkit during the most recent AMC Comprehensive Airman Fitness conference at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. 

The toolkit lesson plans cover a wide range of topics, including how to become an improved critical thinker.

One toolkit example is the 'quality of information' check. This diagnostic technique helps an individual form a solid foundation when making a decision.

Another method asks individuals to challenge ideas, which helps to prevent groupthink.

"It's imperative that our Airmen are empowered to be effective leaders and problem solvers with top-notch critical thinking skills as we continue to navigate the challenges in providing unrivaled safe and efficient rapid global mobility for the nation," said Gen. Darren W. McDew, AMC commander. "Our Airmen are up to the task and it's our job to create a positive culture and provide opportunities for the highest quality of learning - such as these new AMC critical thinking skills modules."

The toolkit also contains several exercises aimed at applying the knowledge gained from these techniques at the technical, tactical, operational and strategic levels.

"I am excited about what the AMC CAF Conference attendees accomplished," said Ivera Harris, AMC Community Support Program Manager. "The entire conference focused on enhancing or adding tools to our CAF toolkit."

Upon return to their respective units, coordinators and trainers will be vital in deploying this capability throughout AMC wings.

According to Mr. Hammerli, "The bedrock of the critical thinking toolkit is the self-development tool.  For the toolkit to be effective, each individual must want to improve these skills."

By answering eight simple questions in the self-development tool, individuals can assess their abilities and track their improvement as they progress. These tools will help Airmen determine areas in which they struggle or could use additional practice and development, while also allowing them to practice critical thinking to maximize efficiency.

Face of Defense: Soldier, Family Help Accident Victim

By Army Sgt. William Begley

3rd Combat Aviation Brigade

SAVANNAH, Ga., April 13, 2015 – Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Mike Carman and his sons, Miguel and Enrique, were recognized in an April 9 ceremony at Hunter Army Airfield for efforts that potentially saved a young woman’s life after a February car accident.

Carman, aviation mission survivability officer for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, was in Atlanta with his sons Feb. 14 for a soccer tournament.

The family witnessed a car accident in which a teenage girl who was not wearing her seatbelt was thrown from a vehicle her older sister was driving. Their father was in another vehicle at the scene. The girl had cuts on her face and was losing blood.

“We immediately stopped and saw the father and sister running around and very emotional,” Carman said. “They saw their daughter/sister, who was unresponsive and bleeding, and they panicked.”

Meanwhile, Carman and his sons began treating the victim. Carman immediately drew upon his combat lifesaver training and said he checked the ABCs: airway, bleeding and circulation.

“At first, I didn’t know what to do,” said 10-year-old Enrique. “Then my brother Miguel told me to get the first aid kit, so I did and handed it to my dad.”

A Valuable Lesson

Enrique said he learned a valuable lesson from the experience. “There were a lot of people just standing around doing nothing, and I didn’t think that was right,” he said. “I think the lesson I learned was don’t just stand around, take action.”

Miguel, 13, called 911 immediately and followed his father’s directions. “I just listened to my dad’s orders, because it was obvious he knew what he was doing,” he said. “I’m just glad we could help out.”

Carman said he is proud of his boys.

“Anybody wearing this uniform would do the exact same thing,” Carman said. “To see two young men get involved in a situation and provide aid to someone who is in desperate need of it while a lot of folks just stood there watching says a lot about their character. I could not be more proud.”