Air Force headquarters gets look at Peterson Airmen’s time

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Stephen Collier
  • 21st Space Wing Public Affairs
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. --  They looked at how the burden of continuing computer-based training, information technology, pesky duties and other additional mission requirements affect your daily routine. And they want to give you more time to accomplish your mission. 

Visiting Peterson Aug. 11-12, a six-man Airmen's Time Assessment Team from Headquarters, Air Force received honest, hard facts on issues faced by commanders throughout several area AF installations concerning additional workloads and their programs. 

The team, which is traveling to Air Force bases worldwide to assess time issues, saw the toll additional duties, information technology overload and other time sappers are having on various units throughout the 21st SW during their visit here. 

"In the Air Force, we step up to challenges," Mark Doboga, the team's leader said. "We're hoping from visiting these bases, we'll find better tools for commanders and find ways to give them more time to be leaders and mentors, rather than sit behind their desk glued to their computers." 

Mr. Doboga is a member of the Senior Executive Staff and is the director of Plans and Integration and the Air Force Personnel Operations Agency, as well as the Air Force's Manpower and Personnel deputy chief of staff. 

The challenges Mr. Doboga spoke of are assorted. Servicemembers are juggling their daily duties with computer-based training, additional duties, IT requirements for database tracking, just to name a few. Originally accomplished by a squadron's commander support staff, these tasks now fall to other members of a unit as personnelists consolidated into the 21st Force Support Squadron in support of the Base Level Service Delivery Model, or 'BLSDM' and information managers shifted to the group level. 

BLSDM is an initiative which consolidates military personnel from a commander's support staff into the 21st FSS's Military Personnel Section. 

So what's the solution? Leadership from three local Colorado installations, including Peterson, Schriever and Buckley AFBs, were in attendance, voicing their concerns about what seems to be endless additional work at the wing, group and squadron levels.
Capt. Chad Wright, 21st Force Support Squadron Manpower and Personnel Flight chief and coordinator of the team's visit, said he believed commanders are hopeful for a solution, but only time would tell. 

"Based on the turnout during the town hall meeting, I think the commanders were open to what was presented as well as the ... team and their openness with commanders," Captain Wright said. "(The Airmen's Time Assessment Team) were open to the commander's problems and concerns and that helped the discussion with the team." 

And Mr. Doboga agreed, pointing out the good cross talk between the three installations.
"Peterson, Schriever and Buckley each had great inputs," Mr. Doboga said. "Great ideas were thrown out to help fix this problem. All in all, we've got the right perspective to ensure we stay engaged with leadership to make sure we don't fail. Visiting here has validated a lot of things we've seen around the Air Force."
 
Mr. Doboga said there would be challenges if Headquarters Air Force doesn't work to lower the amount of additional work placed on an Air Force at war for more than 17 years.
The team's mission takes them from U.S. Air Force Europe installations, through the continental U.S. and on to the Pacific Rim. Many of the Air Force's major commands are represented, giving a snap shot of diversity of AF installations throughout the service.
A report on the group's findings will be available at a date to be determined.

 

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