Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Master Sgt. Jena Brooks, far left and members of the Wingman Tactics Team look over best practices submitted by Airmen Oct. 15, 2014, at Langley Air Force Base, Va. Senior NCOs from the wing recently created the Wingman Tactics Review Process to collect and review best practices and disseminate them throughout the wing. Brooks is a 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing training superintendent. (U.S. Air Force photo/Marge McGlinn)Master Sgt. Jena Brooks, far left, and members of the Wingman Tactics Team look over best practices submitted by Airmen Oct. 15, 2014, at Langley Air Force Base, Va. Senior NCOs from the 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing recently created the Wingman Tactics Review Process to collect and review best practices and disseminate them throughout the wing. Brooks is a 480th ISRW training superintendent. (U.S. Air Force photo/Marge McGlinn)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Senior NCOs lead wingman tactics process, foster culture of innovationPublished Oct. 29, 2014
                    
                    By Marge McGlinn
                    
                    
                    480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs
            **Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. (AFNS) --**Senior NCOs from the 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing are leading the charge in the wing's newly created Wingman Tactics Process, created to collect and review best wingman practices already in place throughout the wing, and then share those ideas with the rest of the wing.
The wingman tactics process is modeled off the existing weapons and tactics process that exists throughout the Air Force; however, instead of focusing on how best to employ an aircraft, battlefield tactic or counter enemy innovations the wingman tactics process focuses on how best to care for the  human weapon system -- the Airmen of the wing.
"Many units within our wing, as well as the rest of the U.S. Air Force, are going above and beyond to help each other, really grasping what being a true wingman is all about," said Master Sgt. Jena Brooks, the 480th ISRW training superintendent and a Wingman Tactics Team lead member. "These great practices should be captured and submitted to leadership for dissemination to everyone. What works in one section or unit may work in many, if not all."
The idea for the Wingman Tactics Process germinated in June shortly after Col. Tim Haugh took command of the wing. Haugh had a vision for sharing innovation and wanted his NCOs to develop the process. He did not have to go any further than his own mission support section, where the assigned Senior NCOs volunteered to create and organize the Wing's vision. 
The result: a bottom-up innovation process to enable those closest to the activity to identify the best practices that support our Airmen and their families, and submit them to their group leadership for sharing. Any member of the wing can submit an innovation for the wing to review; military and civilian.
A tactic is screened at the group level and submitted to wing team leads currently located in the wing's mission support section, which then convene the wingman tactics working group to review the best practice for sharing.  This working group is made up of nine Senior NCOs all holding a different Air Force specialty codes ensuring a wide range of views are brought to the table.
Each time a tactic is submitted to the wing, this group convenes to review the process and determines the best audience for dissemination. The group may determine to share the practice with other groups within the wing: a host wing, a major command, the ISR enterprise or even the Air Force at-large.
"During the first Wingman Tactics Process review, we received a fantastic cross section of wingman tactics," Haugh said. "The tactics ranged from creating a unit culture of innovation; techniques to optimize the new Airman Comprehensive Assessment Form; resiliency team tactics; a 'what if tragedy occurs' exercise; developing a Heritage Hall for Airmen; motorcycle mentoring techniques and a promotion study process."
The working group chose its first submission to review, ensured they had all the necessary information in-hand to understand the complexities of the innovation, confirmed they understood each part of the submission and then prepared a recommendation to present to Haugh.
This resulted in the first disseminated submission, labeled Hawk Tank.  Hawk Tank was created by the “Hawks” from the 392nd Intelligence Squadron at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, and modeled after a reality competition show. Hawk Tank is a forum within the squadron where Airmen can submit an idea to a panel, and if the panel determines it is attainable, the Airman is paired up with resources and mentors to set it in motion. 
"Balancing compliance, mission and innovation isn't easy," said Tech. Sgt. Valerie Rivera, 392nd IS, and the leading force behind Hawk Tank. "But in today's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance world, it is a must.  The enemy is smarter than ever before, yet so are our Airmen. How can we do a better job of tapping into the talents our Airmen bring?" 
Rivera's leadership in creating the internal mechanisms to cultivate and sustain a culture of innovation has led her to be hand-picked by Maj. Gen. John N.T. Shanahan, the 25th Air Force commander, to brief the Hawk Tank concept to Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force Gen. Mark A. Welsh III during an upcoming visit.
"Tech. Sgt. Rivera is leading the charge on innovation at the 692rd ISR Group," Haugh said. "Her efforts with creating a culture and supporting environment where Airmen think innovation have reaped many rewards."
According to Brooks, the rest of the initial submissions will be reviewed by the working group by the end of October.
It is hoped the wingman tactics process will encourage continual innovations within the wing to improve support to Airmen and their families.
"This process was created for everyone," Haugh said. "If our wing members have a tactic that enhances the way we care for our Airmen, or accomplish the mission, let's share it."ISRW 



Joint Base Langley-Eustis 



Virginia 



innovation Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fight
                    
                    SecAF Kendall AFA Warfare Symposium Q&A: Reoptimizing for Great Power CompetitionInnovation
                AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalists
                    
                    Chief Digital, Artificial Intelligence Office to host hackathon in HawaiiMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil