Maintenance Group Global Strike Challenge team discuss competition

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Mike Tryon
  • 90th Missile Wing Public Affairs
F. E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, WYO. --  The 90th Maintenance Group, an Air Force Global Strike Command unit, recently competed in the Command's Global Strike Challenge here at F. E. Warren.

The selection process for the competition took place back in July with about 40 maintainers competing against each other in 14 events during the week-long try outs for the chance to be a part of this year's competition, said 1st Lt. Heath Matthews, 90th Maintenance Operations Squadron. After the 14 different events, the members trying out were given a 30-question timed test to challenge their ability to navigate applicable technical orders during a timed event.

"For us, as members of the Electro-Mechanical Team, our try outs consisted of A-circuit troubleshooting," said Senior Airman John Thompson, 90th Missile Maintenance Squadron. "Master Sgt. Beau Jones, 90th MMXS, gave us a small task to work on so he could evaluate our individual performance, teamwork capabilities and our troubleshooting techniques."

"Basically, he was looking for the fastest, most effective and innovative members to make up the EMT," said Staff Sgt. Ian Johnston, 90th MMXS.

After all the members for the individual teams were selected, there was a 90th MXG all-call to announce who would represent the group in the various teams, Lieutenant Matthews said.

"Not only was I proud to be a team member to represent the group and the wing in the competition, but I was also excited to know who the rest of my team members were," Airman Thompson said. "I was equally excited to work with them, in the hopes we could ensure the Blackburn and Blanchard Trophies come back to Warren."

"I definitely had that 'wow-factor,'" Sergeant Johnston said. "I am just glad I was able to be a part of the team."

Even though the teams were selected in mid-July, they were not allowed to start Phase One training until July 29, which is when the teams conducted in-depth technical order review, and focused on task sequence and new equipment innovations, Lieutenant Matthews said.

Phase Two training began Aug. 14, he added. During this phase, the teams were allowed to begin the hands-on training for the competition.

"Training for this competition was awesome," Sergeant Johnston said. "Because we were in the trainer, it was nice not having to wait for other agencies to do their thing."

"Time plays a huge factor 'real-world' in what we do," Airman Thompson added. "Our normal duty-day is 16 hours, and that includes briefing time, driving time and then fixing [as much as we can] in a shift so another crew doesn't have to come out as well."

"In the trainers, we don't have to worry about any of that," Airman Thompson said. "We just have to show up to Uniform-One and train."

"Basically, we had 16 hour shifts to just work on the different scenarios our trainers threw at us," Sergeant Johnston said.

The competition itself went from Sept. 13 to 17, Lieutenant Matthews said.

"Competing was great," Sergeant Johnston said. "When the next one comes around, sign me up, this is definitely something that I look forward to doing again."

"It was nice to have the task we did," Airman Thompson said. "Now we [on the EMT] are pretty much considered 'subject-matter experts' on a relatively new system."

"With the launch facility secondary access system, or B-Plug, being pretty new, not a lot of the data on what commonly malfunctions, and ways to solve those problems, have not been readily available," Sergeant Johnston said. "So, focusing on that for the competition, all the data used will help us troubleshoot those problems quicker in the future."

"As a bonus, it also will help keep our cost for parts down," Sergeant Johnston added.

The maintenance group team along with the security forces and operations groups will be going down to AFGSC headquarters at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., for the score posting Nov. 16 through 18.

"I feel confident in how we performed," Airman Thompson said. "I know everyone of the individual teams for maintenance worked to the best of their abilities, and we should have no problem bringing home those trophies."