Maintenance Innovation Slashes Delivery Times

By Air Force Senior Airman Kelly O’Connor, 100th Air Refueling Wing

ROYAL AIR FORCE MILDENHALL, England -- Imagine shopping online for an item that must arrive quickly and realizing the process will take 90 days. Ninety long days.

Air Force Senior Airman Joshua Heffernan, a flight aerospace propulsion journeyman with the 100th Maintenance Squadron here, experienced this problem while working in the composite tool kit section last year. When customers tried to order tools and equipment, the process took an average of three months. Heffernan saw the frustration and wanted to swap out the old process with a new one.

Heffernan went to Mia Tobitt, the squadron’s continuous process improvement manager, for guidance. Tobitt suggested he enroll in Green Belt, or CPI training. There, he discussed his flight’s problem, and with the help of others, they made his vision a reality.

“The old ordering process had all these defects, and we eliminated them,” Heffernan said. “The root cause was there wasn’t a standard process, so we created one. The average was 90 days to order something, and our flight chief’s policy was 30 days. We got it down from 90 days to a day and a half.”

Making a Difference

The process simplified purchasing items and brought maintainers the equipment they needed in a fraction of the time it used to take.

“The lines of communication are much smoother now because everyone knows what their role is, Everyone knows who’s accountable,” Tobitt said. “We’ve put it back into the customer’s hands. It’s important that we empower them.”

Airmen are now trained to use tracking logs and place orders with a step-by-step guide for continued accountability and communication across the flight.

“This project illustrates how one airman can make a difference,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Paul Weme, 100th MXS commander. “Joshua used his training to focus on and fix a problem that affected his flight and daily mission. Now, that solution is benefiting our entire squadron.”

The 100 MXMT flight is made up of 61 personnel who maintain a squadron of KC-135 Stratotankers that support missions in Europe and Africa.

DoD Announces Policy Change on Transfer of Post-9/11 GI Bill Benefits

WASHINGTON -- The Defense Department issued a substantive change today to its policy on the transfer by service members in the uniformed services of Post-9/11 GI Bill educational benefits to eligible family member recipients.

Effective one year from the date of this change, eligibility to transfer those benefits will be limited to service members with less than 16 years of total active-duty or selected reserve service, as applicable.

Previously, there were no restrictions on when a service member could transfer educational benefits to their family members. The provision that requires a service member to have at least six years of service to apply to transfer benefits remains unchanged in the policy.

Focus on Retention

“After a thorough review of the policy, we saw a need to focus on retention in a time of increased growth of the armed forces," said Stephanie Miller, director of accessions policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. “This change continues to allow career service members that earned this benefit to share it with their family members while they continue to serve.” This change is an important step to preserve the distinction of transferability as a retention incentive, she added.

If service members fail to fulfill their service obligation because of a “force shaping” event -- such as officers involuntarily separated as a result of being twice passed over for promotion or enlisted personnel involuntarily separated as a result of failure to meet minimum retention standards, such as high year of tenure -- the change will allow them to retain their eligibility to transfer education benefits even if they haven't served the entirety of their obligated service commitment through no fault of their own.

All approvals for transferability of Post-9/11 GI bill continue to require a four-year commitment in the armed forces and, more importantly, the member must be eligible to be retained for four years from the date of election, officials said.

The policy affects service members in the uniformed services, which includes the U.S. Coast Guard as well as the commissioned members of the U.S. Public Health Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Active-Duty Opportunities Available for Reserve Sailors

By Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Joseph Rullo, Camp Lemonnier

CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti -- The Navy Reserve is a convenient way for some sailors to serve on a part-time basis. The one-weekend-a-month, two-weeks-a-year schedule allows sailors leaving active duty to continue their service and, possibly, reach retirement.

Occasionally, circumstances change, and a return to active duty becomes an attractive option.

Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Judson, a logistics specialist in the Navy Reserve, said he is interested in going back to active duty to finish his Navy career. “It’s always been one of my goals; to retire from the Navy after 20 years of service,” he said. “While I’m close to retiring from the Navy Reserve side, I’d much prefer to retire from active duty.”

Judson left active duty as part of the Perform to Serve Program in 2012.

RC2AC

Reservists interested in returning to active duty have an opportunity to do so through a program called Reserve Component to Active Component Augmentation, or RC2AC.

The program is used to fill empty positions in the active duty Navy by using existing skill sets from Reserve sailors to help improve and maintain the health of the force.

A strictly voluntary program, RC2AC must be initiated by the appropriate enlisted community manager in response to a specific need. Judson said he was familiar with the program and its requirements before he applied.

“The program is something I’ve followed on and off for the past six years,” he said. “I was waiting for my year group to open up.” A year group is the fiscal year in which an adjusted active duty service date falls. Sailors can work with their command career counselor to calculate their adjusted ADSD and year group.

Sailors interested in applying to the RC2AC program must meet some basic physical, medical, rating, tenure and year group criteria.

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class James McLaughlin, a command career counselor here, said that he is working with three mobilized sailors who have applied for the RC to AC program and notes that regulations limit when mobilized sailors may apply.

“Because [these] sailors are mobilized, I cannot submit their packages until they are 90 days from redeployment,” McLaughlin said. “I submit a copy of their deployment orders so that the enlisted community manager can see that they are redeploying at a certain date.”

If selected, sailors must work with their active community detailers to find an appropriate billet. The detailer will contact the sailor to negotiate assignment possibilities.

Considerations

There are some other considerations when applying for the RC2AC program. Sailors will be subject to active advancement quotas as well as their sea-shore flow policy.

McLaughlin said that the Navy is looking to fill seagoing rates such as boatswain’s mates and operational specialists through the program. “If a sailor really wants to go active, they can look at one of these [seagoing] rates,” McLaughlin said. “The Navy is trying to get the manning where they need it.”

Additionally, active duty sailors are not eligible for re-enlistment bonuses upon augmentation.

Individuals who may have been discharged for high year of tenure and have made rank in the reserves may consider RC2AC as a way to continue their active Navy career.

McLaughlin said the program has been popular here. “We have a tremendous success rate here,” he said. “Out of the 20 or so people who applied, 14 were selected.”

Judson said he has applied for an active duty assignment in his current rate of logistics specialist and expects that he will receive an answer by July 20. Although he may reapply if not selected, he said, he is hoping to be successful at his bid to return to active duty and retire.

“I’m nervous,” he said. “It’s that one opportunity to win or lose, so I’m taking my chances on this one and hope to be accepted.”