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        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      spark tank screen shotAFMC Spark Tank
                        
                        
                        Panelists judge innovative ideas during the inaugural AFMC Spark Tank competition. The event, along with the AFMC We Need Ideascale Campaign, encourages Airmen and civilians to submit ideas that have the potential to improve business practices and Air Force mission activities. (U.S. Air Force courtesy photo)
                
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        Ashley Dement, an electrical technician lead, works on a rake used to characterize the flow of the Arnold Engineering Development Complex 16-foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel, March 24, 2020, at Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jill Pickett)AEDC Flight Systems Branch provides data critical to weapon systems development
                        
                        
                        Ashley Dement, an electrical technician lead, works on a rake used to characterize the flow of the Arnold Engineering Development Complex 16-foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel, March 24, 2020, at Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jill Pickett)
                
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        Master Sgt. Chad Hardesy, 412th Security Forces Squadron, demonstrates the new Spin scooters near the Airmen dormitories at Edwards Air Force Base, California, during the projects launch Sept. 2. (Air Force photo by Ethan Wagner)SparkED Team: keeping innovative ideas rolling
                        
                        
                        Master Sgt. Chad Hardesy, 412th Security Forces Squadron, demonstrates the new Spin Scooters near the Airmen dormitories at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., during the project's launch Sept. 2, 2020. (U.S. Air Force photo by Ethan Wagner)
                
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‘AFMC We Need’ campaign continues to drive changePublished Oct. 5, 2020
                    
                    By Marisa Alia-Novobilski
                    
                    
                    Air Force Materiel Command
            **WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFNS) --**When **Gen. Arnold W. Bunch, Jr.**, **Air Force Materiel Command** commander, launched the AFMC We Need campaign in 2019, many were skeptical if true change would result from the study. However, one year later, the initiative continues to drive success across the mission, bringing positive change and improvements, moving the command closer to the ideal set in motion by the operation’s pursuit.
“We’re continuing our drive to improve,” Bunch said. “We’re going to continue to do things like hiring and onboarding people faster, developing stronger leaders, being more agile and getting technology into the field at the speed of relevance. These are all part of the AFMC We Need to lead our Air Force into the future.”
With the **initial feedback** citing information technology infrastructure, communication, facilities, hiring and leadership development as high-priority areas for improvement, the command released an updated **strategic plan**with four lines of effort, or LOE, to help direct not only the work being accomplished across the command, but the actions under the AFMC We Need effort.
The LOEs:

Increase Readiness and Lethality
 Speed with Discipline
 Strengthen Our Teams
 Foster Trusted ConnectionAFMC We Need initiatives are being executed by individual Airmen and teams at every level throughout the command, but the Commander’s Accelerated Initiatives Office, which reports directly to the AFMC deputy commander, **Lt. Gen. Carl Schaefer**, serves as the focal point for Airman-driven mission enhancement, continuous process improvement and innovation at the headquarters level.
“Our team’s mission is to ‘innovate, accelerate and integrate’ by identifying and communicating innovative solutions, lessons learned and best practices to ensure AFMC's organizational structure, authorities, policies, procedures and culture optimally posture the command to support the Air Force and the **National Defense Strategy**,” said Kim Norman, chief, Commander’s Accelerated Initiatives Office. “We collaborate with our headquarter’s directorate, center and wing experts and innovators to accelerate both local and enterprise-wide solutions that will help us become the AFMC we need. We also work with units to find solutions and resources that can support them in executing our critical missions for the Air Force.”
While each of the focus areas have a number of projects in progress, a large portion fall under the umbrella of increasing readiness and lethality. This LOE encompasses efforts to improve facility deficits, user IT experience and drive both near and long term innovative solutions to better enable AFMC to meet the needs of a modern Air Force.
“While facility deficits exist across AFMC, COVID-19 has shown us that it’s possible to work successfully in alternate work environments,” Norman said. “Though we continue to focus on everything from modular facilities, leasing and partnerships to augment space limitations, we’ve also accelerated efforts to develop long-term telework guidelines and improve IT experiences across the command. A large part of the AFMC We Need is looking at new and innovative ways our Airmen can successfully execute our missions.”
Under the LOE Speed with Discipline, teams are focusing on ways to drive greater speed and agility into AFMC processes, both internal as well as those which incorporate external entities. By reexamining lines of authority and responsibilities, the goal is to streamline processes and remove organizational and bureaucratic stovepipes that hinder rapid, agile execution of mission needs.
Some of the efforts under the Speed and Discipline LOE include the development of a Digital Innovation Dashboard, with the aim to bring senior leaders, program offices, stakeholders, Spark Cells and Airmen to the forefront of data-driven decisions. With a cohesive sight picture that incorporates all stakeholders, decisions can be made more rapidly and in a way that meets the needs of all.
An AFMC Capabilities Assessment is also in progress, with the AFMC We Need team partnering with RAND and Project AIR FORCE to assist in an analysis of the roles, missions and associated authorities and responsibilities from the Air Force down the chain of responsibility. The results and recommendations from the project team will be used to create changes that can help the command more effectively execute missions in all areas.
“To deliver the technology our Air Force needs at the speed of relevance, we need to be able to execute with speed and agility,” Bunch said. “By identifying and eliminating organizational stovepipes, we can streamline processes and better meet the needs of the Air Force and accomplish the National Defense Strategy.”
Integral to the AFMC We Need are the Airmen, military and civilian, across the command executing missions daily. The Strengthen our Teams LOE focuses on building the strength of AFMC Airmen and teams to ensure the command has the manpower and resources required to deliver what the Air Force needs now and into the future.
In addition to a strong **focus on hiring** top-level, skilled talent to fill vacancies across the command, a dedicated **acculturation effort** is underway to ensure new hires are brought on-board rapidly and are provided with the knowledge and training required to begin work immediately. A renewed emphasis on supervisor and leadership training aims to ensure civilian and military Airmen have the knowledge, skills and training to effectively lead AFMC teams across the mission set. An upcoming **Agile Patriot** professional development conference will help to develop mid-tier AFMC Airmen and prepare them to assume leadership roles in the future as well.
The command is also focused on leveraging the ideas of Airmen to innovate the way the command executes missions daily. The inaugural **AFMC Spark Tank** competition resulted in more than 100 innovative idea submissions through the Air Force Ideation platform. An ongoing **AFMC We Need Ideascale Campaign** continues to encourage Airmen and civilians to submit ideas that have the potential to improve business practices and mission activities, with the possibility of receiving funding and support to further develop and have them implemented across AFMC.
“Our Airmen are developing innovative solutions and finding ways to improve our missions every day. Often these local solutions can benefit a wider command and Air Force audience,” Schaefer said. “We need their inputs to build the AFMC We Need.”
The final LOE focuses on fostering trusted connections, which includes ensuring strong lines of communication exist both internally and externally. The ability to “hear and be heard” is foundational to the trust required to successfully execute mission tasks.
To facilitate greater understanding of issues related to **diversity and inclusion**, leaders continue to host sensing sessions providing Airmen with an opportunity to share personal experiences as a means of helping to shape future courses of action in this area. Human resources teams are hosting focus groups to help identify training deficits and future needs across the command. The **AFMC Connect** was launched early in 2020, providing commanders and teams with resources to help build team cohesion and resiliency.
In addition, leaders across AFMC continue to host virtual town hall sessions to ensure Airmen have the critical information related to COVID-19, return to full capacity activities and all other aspects of Air Force and AFMC activities. These events not only provide the opportunity for Airmen to hear directly from leadership, but they also enable them to ask questions and provide feedback to leaders as well.
“A need for improved communication was a key finding in the AFMC We Need survey,” Norman said. “We continue to focus on building connections and finding ways to ensure our Airmen are informed and can have their voices be heard as we move forward.”
Changes resulting from the AFMC We Need will continue to roll out across the command, and ongoing Airmen support and willingness to transform will be critical to the initiative’s continued success.
“As a command, it is important that we continue to listen to our Airmen and find ways to break down barriers they face. Our greatest resource is our Airmen, and it is through their ingenuity that we will find solutions to our most challenging problems,” Bunch said. “Together we can build and achieve the AFMC We Need.”FS 



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Related Links
        AFMC seeks innovative ideas through Ideascale Campaign
                                Jan. 16, 2020
                                To support the drive to deliver what the Air Force needs at the speed of relevance, Airmen and civilians from across the  Air Force Materiel Command enterprise are invited to submit innovative ideas and solutions to improve the AFMC mission through the U.S Air Force Ideation Platform, or Ideascale,
            
            AFMC announces 2020 MAJCOM Spark Tank semifinalists
                                Aug. 24, 2020
                                The Air Force Materiel Command has selected five semifinalists from more than 90 submissions to the command-wide Spark Tank competition.
            
            AFMC launches “AFMC We Need” initiative
                                July 2, 2019
                                In an effort to make certain the Air Force Materiel Command is ideally structured and resourced to support the National Defense Strategy, AFMC leadership has launched an enterprise-wide initiative that will empower its Airmen and civilians to help shape the future of the command.
            
            Bunch reflects on first year in command, outlines AFMC future
                                June 12, 2020
                                During a year that has included an Air Force-wide focus on modernization, lethality and readiness through faster, more agile business processes, the ability of the Air Force Materiel Command to successfully meet the needs of the National Defense Strategy was a major focus of Gen. Arnold W. Bunch,
            
            Facilities, IT top themes in AFMC We Need study
                                Sept. 24, 2019
                                Facility quality and information technology infrastructure topped the list of concerns identified through the Air Force Materiel Command’s AFMC We Need initiative, now in the survey analysis and implementation stage. The command-wide study launched by Gen. Arnold W. Bunch, Jr. shortly after he took
            
            AFMC We Need team to conduct focus groups across enterprise
                                July 15, 2019
                                The Air Force Materiel Command’s AFMC We Need team will travel to operating locations across the command footprint to conduct in-person focus groups beginning July 22. The AFMC We Need enterprise-wide initiative, launched in late June, seeks inputs and recommendations from AFMC civilian and military
            
            AFMC virtual town hall addresses COVID-19, diversity, command future
                                Aug. 4, 2020
                                Diversity and inclusion, the coronavirus pandemic and the strategic direction of the Air Force Materiel Command were among the many topics covered during a virtual town hall, July 29.Gen. Arnold W. Bunch, Jr., AFMC Commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Stanley C. Cadell, AFMC Command Chief, addressed Featured News
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