Commander gets behind the scene ICBM tour

  • Published
  • By Col. Greg Tims
  • 90th Missile Wing commander
F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. --  We have four different groups working on the eight-step process for the four areas the Inspector General had identified that needed a deeper internal look. I have meet with all of these groups on multiple occasions, and I've been impressed with their passion for striving for process improvement. Your intense focus has not gone unnoticed. Mr. Blaine McAlpin from 20th Air Force has been the facilitator for two of the groups. I sure do appreciate Mr. McAlpin's passion for ICBMs. No doubt he is an honored and valued member of our team. For those of you unfamiliar with the process, the eights steps are as follows:

1) Clarify and Validate the Problem
2) Breakdown the Problem/Identify Performance gaps
3) Set Improvement Targets
4) Determine Root Cause
5) Develop Countermeasures
6) See Countermeasures Through
7) Confirm Results and Process
8) Standardize Successful Processes

Within each of these steps, there are many different tools to help the team dig deep into the issue. While it might appear to be a simple endeavor, in actuality, it is not. It takes many hours (the key word in the sentence being many) to complete. Those of you who have done this before will know that while the work may be hard, it is definitely worth the effort. The results have longevity -- they do not die on the vine within a couple of months.
 
I am a big proponent of the 8-Step process and find that no doubt in the long run they make us smarter, better, more efficient and enhance our combat capability. My hat is off to the four teams that have selfishly labored with the passion to make us better.

I have the pleasure of announcing our next command chief -- Chief Master Sgt. Marty Anderson. Chief Anderson will be coming from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, with an extensive background in maintenance. He has also been a professional military education instructor and has spent seven years as a first sergeant. He should be arriving on the 2nd of March. His family will follow shortly, and we'll get a chance to greet them in the June timeframe. Please be sure to welcome him when you see him around and give him your support.

Our supporters in the local community and at the state are also key to our success, and the Honorable Pete Illoway invited me to attend Wyoming State Legislature session. What a fabulous experience. Mr. Illoway is a huge supporter of our base and we appreciate his leadership in not only State issues, but helping ensure the City of Cheyenne and F. E. Warren are in lock-step.

Last Thursday I attended the 321st Missile Squadron's mission planning briefing. Capt. Austin Potter presented the brief. These mission briefs are very thorough and cover a wide variety of issues. Then we moved down the hall to attend the pre-departure briefing. The briefing was given by Capt. Joe Liles. Bottom line: when you leave these briefings the crew force is ready to drive to their alert locations. Afterwards, I flew with the 37th Helicopter Squadron. Lt. Col. Clarke Pleasants was the pilot, 1st Lt. Barry Gordon was the co-pilot and the Flight Engineer was Staff Sgt. Matthew Ruebelman. We flew a training mission with two Tactical Response Force members: Senior Airman Edward Coffey and Senior Airman Tyler Erickson. I actually got to jump out the side and follow the TRF to a position of cover to engage in the training scenario. I just can't say enough about the professionalism and expertise I saw. No doubt in my mind, these warriors are ready to fight anytime, anywhere.

One of the keys to our successes out in the missile field is a proper maintained missile alert facility. It starts with the facility manager and chef pre-departure briefing. So I popped in on one and was very pleased with what I saw. The 321st MS facility manager NCO in charge Tech. Sgt. Tom Barnello was the briefer. The 321st MS superintendent, Master Sgt. Paul Bobenmoyer, and the 90th Operations Group facility manager superintendent, Master Sgt. Dan Dial, oversaw the session. Our FMs and chefs lead the pack. They get it! When I go visit the MAF I see nothing, but a well-oiled machine. To get to that level it starts with pre-departure -- well done to you all.

I want to thank all of the organizations who worked hard to ensure we have activities that meet our recreational and spiritual needs like last Friday night's event. Julie and I attended the Valentine's dinner hosted by our Chapel staff. If you missed it, I hope you have the opportunity to sign up for it next year. Those of you who attended will probably agree it was a very fun and enjoyable event.

I had the pleasure this week to surprise Tech. Sgt. Joshua Fitch with some new stripes. He has been working well above his former rank of staff sergeant and he was given a STEP promotion to technical sergeant thanks to his supervisor, Chief Master Sgt. Mike Zirkle, who is currently our acting command chief. This is truly an example of leadership taking care of people.

Ms. Robin Lauser, Ms. Tara Morton and their team behind the scenes did a phenomenal job hosting Tops in Blue this week! I'd like to thank our sponsors; Western Vista Credit Union, Air Force Association Chapter 357, the Military Affairs Committee, Warren Spouses Club, our AAFES and Commissary agencies, Meadow Gold, Coca Cola, First Cheyenne Credit Union and our wonderful spouses. Additionally, I would like to thank the Cheyenne Civic Center and the many services members and the volunteers who set up, ushered and tore down the set. These shows not only give our talented Airmen a chance to shine, but also serve as an outreach tool to show Americans their Air Force is comprised of diverse and talented professionals.

Finally, I believe we had a very successful wingman day last Friday. We have three of these planned for this year. It is important for us to come together like this and talk about the profession of arms, the many successes we have experienced and any vector checks needed. Like I said last week, I have never seen a problem in my last 24-years that could not be solved. The Mighty Ninety has a reputation for overcoming any task that we face with drive, passion and focus.

Go Forth and Conquer!