From Cameroon to DLA: desire to learn and improve broadens horizons
 
  By Natalie Skelton, DLA Aviation Public Affairs
  Defense Logistics Agency Aviation Air Force Master Sgt. Yanick MBA is keen to understand the ins and outs of his place in supply chain management, and how he can help improve processes that support the warfighter.
A native of the Republic of Cameroon, west-central Africa, MBA immigrated to the United States in 2011 and joined the Air Force in 2013.
 
"Growing up in Cameroon, I would watch the United States military on TV and often wish that I was born in the U.S. so I could be a part of the military," MBA said.
MBA received a visa through the Diversity Visa (immigrant lottery) program and, upon arriving in the U.S., visited an Air National Guard recruiting office in Washington, D.C., to learn how he could sign up. He wasn’t aware of the differences between the military branches; he just knew he wanted to join. MBA relocated to Tucson, AZ, where he went to college and eventually joined the Air Force.
“My very first assignment after I graduated from technical school at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, was with 352nd Special Operations Group based at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, United Kingdom.” It was during his stay in the UK that MBA earned his U.S. citizenship, met his wife, and welcomed their first child. While with the 352nd Special Operations Group, some of his responsibilities included ordering, tracking, and turning in parts for repair.
“While I was working as a decentralized material support airman, I realized that most parts we touch to support our airframes were DLA parts. Though very small in value, they were capable of rendering the aircraft non-mission capable when not available in time. This bit of knowledge caught my attention because my upgrade training course mentioned that I could go to a wholesale program when I meet the requirements.
That curiosity drove MBA to get a better understanding of how DLA operates, and eventually led him to the DLA Materiel Management Enlisted Career Broadening Program, a three-year program designed to promote a better understanding of the Air Force supply chain from an enterprise level.
Through the MMECBP, sponsored by the Air Force Directorate of Logistics, program participants, or “broadeners,” take on rotational assignments at five DLA’s directorates learning materiel management, requirements determination and forecasting, provisioning, procuring, contracting, budgeting, operations, and funding processes.
 
 The rotation process is designed to provide broadeners exposure to the key elements of life cycle logistics to maximize learning and comprehension.
 When he began his career broadening program journey, MBA oversaw over 10,000 national stock numbers to ensure the health and optimal stock levels for over 38 weapon systems.
“I collaborated across disciplines to validate planning data, supporting warfighters and allies, and facilitated five teams of stakeholders to avoid $15 million in contract delays,” he said.
MBA also played a role in finding a home for more than 900,000 items when DLA transitioned industrial hardware procurement activities from Land and Maritime to Aviation.
MBA said his current rotation within DLA Aviation’s Customer Operations Directorate’s Air Force Customer Facing Division, is providing him with fantastic opportunities.
He is working with the integrated logistics support team and is responsible for working on the sustainment plan for the Air Force T-7A Red Hawk, the service’s newest training aircraft.  The integrated logistics support team is made up of stakeholders from DLA Aviation, Air Education and Training Command, the Boeing Company, Air Force Materiel Command, and Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. He is also leading the efforts for 65 critical consumable items that support Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems by collaborating with engineers, material planner and program office to sustain the ATCALS platform. MBA is also a member of the DLA Rapid Deployment Team. Team members are trained to respond in case of global emergencies and humanitarian relief efforts.
 “I have learned so much in my two years of being with DLA. All I can wish for is making this program available for more people, which in turn will make the lives of both the logisticians and warfighters better,” MBA said. "Wearing the uniform fills me with immense pride, as it serves as my way of giving back to a country that has transformed my life." Through the opportunity to relocate to the U.S. and join the military after the loss of his parents, MBA was able to sponsor his siblings’ education in Cameroon, while further providing stability to start a family of his own. “I am happily married to an incredible woman, and we have been blessed with two beautiful boys,” said MBA. “Life is truly remarkable, and I am forever grateful.”