Resiliency can be defined as the ability to bounce back during adverse events in someone's life, and the Air Force considers it a key topic when discussing the wingman culture.

This past year has certainly presented many challenges to everyone in the center.

The approaching holiday season is a time of fellowship and joy for most, but for some it can be a particularly challenging time of year.

The recent uptick in COVID-19 cases could make it even more difficult to meet and host traditional celebrations, which could leave vulnerable members isolated and alone.

Two of AFLCMC's senior enlisted leaders, the center's command chief Chief Master Sgt. Troie Croft and the center's 1st Sgt. Senior Master Sgt. Elise Phillips recently sat down for an in depth discussion about resiliency and shared some insights on how to be resilient through the holiday season.

The key take away is to not be afraid to ask for help.

There are a number of support services available that were mentioned in the conversation such as: the Military & Family Life Counseling Program, Military OneSource and Employee Assistance Program.

For more information on all things related to AFLCMC visit our website at:

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AFLCMC has a new 1st Sgt.

In the Air Force an organization’s 1st Sgt, who can also be known as the 1st shirt or just the shirt, is a special duty rank and is a positional job.

In our sister services the Army and Marine Corps first sergeant is an actual rank and not a special duty position.

The position in the Air Force is held by a member of the senior NCO corps in the grades of E-7 through E-9. They report directly to the unit commander or deputy commander of operations. They are responsible for the morale, welfare and conduct of all the enlisted members in an organization and serve as the chief adviser to the organization’s leadership concerning the enlisted force.

We had a chance to talk with Senior Master Sgt. Elise Phillips about her background and her thoughts on her role serving in such a wide reaching and varied organization like the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center.

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When you think about the actual work being done across the Center, in house prototyping and manufacturing don't often come to mind.

Contrary to that thinking there is a small, but very busy team working in AFLCMC’s Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance and Special Operations Forces Directorate, also known as ISR/SOF doing just that.

Not too many folks know about the innovative work being done by the Rapid Development Integration Facility, or RDIF, team housed on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

We had the chance to talk with Alan Brookshire, who provides technical management and is the overall RDIF team lead, about how his small group of subject matter experts and trades craft workers provide rapid prototyping and fielding of equipment and parts to warfighters across the Air Force, often time saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in expected project costs, and getting much needed parts out to the field far faster than utilizing other sources.

The RDIF team truly embodies the mantra of providing what the warfighters need, when they need it.

For more information on all things related to AFLCMC visit our website at:

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Throughout his career Col. Cory Brown has worked on a variety of weapons systems including the U.S. Air Force's most tactical platforms when he was with the Predator Reaper program, and now he heads up the Air Force's most strategic platform as commander of AFLCMC’s B-2 system program office.

We recently had a chance to talk with him about the vitally important role the B-2 plays in keeping our nation and our allied nations safe. During the conversation Col. Brown explained that the B-2, which is also known as they stealth bomber, can reach anywhere in the world in a matter of hours while carrying 20 tons of conventional, and or nuclear weapons. It's the tip of the spear holding together the nuclear triad umbrella that secures today's relative peace unknown for us and our allies since WWII.

Despite its importance the B-2 has had a reputation for being difficult to sustain during its 30 year history of operations. To counter that reputation the program office was awarded the Dr. James G. Roche Sustainment Excellence Award for 2019. The recognition goes to the program demonstrating the most improved performance in aircraft maintenance and logistics readiness. They also took the award in 2010. Col. Brown explained because of the tightknit team and spirit of excellence throughout the program the platform is currently experiencing the highest rates of aircraft availability then ever in it's history.

If you haven’t already done so then please consider subscribing to this series and don’t forget to follow and like us on our social media platforms.

For more information on all things Air Force Life Cycle Management Center related please visit and bookmark our website at www.aflcmc.af.mil.

If you have an idea for a future episode on a topic that would interest the Life Cycle Management Center family shoot us an email at aflcmc.pa.mediateam@us.af.mil.

Until next time---stay strong, stay safe, and keep providing what warfighters need when they need it.

For more information on all things related to AFLCMC visit our website at:

https://www.aflcmc.af.mil.

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After a nearly six month communication effort deep diving into all things AcqDemo, the two senior leaders who kicked off the AcqDemo information campaign AFLCMC’s executive director Kathy Watern and AFLCMC’s director of personnel Sherri Artuso got back together for a wrap up discussion about the effort.

During the discussion Ms. Watern points out that they started the effort with a simple goal, which was to communicate and peel back the layers of uncertainty and fogginess that was there in AcqDemo.

If you haven't had a chance to check out the multitude of discussions and material that’s been put together about AcqDemo over the past several months then you can check out the various playlists on our YouTube channel.

The playlists are tailored to specific topics and broken down even further on information related to individual career fields within the center.

You can also find a ton of resources related to AcqDemo by clicking the link to the AcqDemo knowledge center located on the AFLCMC home page at www.aflcmc.af.mil

For more information on all things related to AFLCMC visit our website at:

https://www.aflcmc.af.mil.

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Every year around this time we are reminded of how fortunate we are to be gainfully employed, and with great benefits.

We are also reminded that there are many folks around us who aren’t so fortunate. This year has been an especially difficult one for many of our friends, family members and neighbors as the coronavirus pandemic disrupted life as we all knew it from earlier this year.

One great way to help those in need is to donate some of your resources like, time, money, or both to a helping organization through the annual Combined Federal Campaign.

In this episode we have a conversation with Staff Sgt. DeAndrea King and Airman 1st Class Terrance Grayson who are the co-managers of headquarters AFLCMC’s 2020 CFC effort. During the conversation they explain why they got involved with CFC, and they shared with us some important details about how this year’s campaign works, and where to go to find more information.

The CFC isn't necessarily just about digging into your wallet as Staff Sgt. King pointed out during our conversation. He mentioned that many organizations really need folks to help them through volunteer work. So even if you don't have the financial ability to donate, your time is also a valuable commodity needed by many helping organizations.

To reach out to one of the co-managers of the AFLCMC HQ CFC effort you can e-mail one of them directly at: [email protected] or [email protected]

For more information about the campaign visit its website at the following link" https://cfcgiving.opm.gov/welcome.

You can also reach out to the keyworkers in your organization for details about how you donate in your local area.

For more information on all things related to AFLCMC visit our website at:

https://www.aflcmc.af.mil.

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Lt. Gen. Shaun Morris took command of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center on Sept. 04.

He’s spent the last month getting up to speed on the latest activities in the center's vast portfolio.

We had a chance to sit down with him for a few minutes to discuss how the first month has gone. We learned a little of his career history and we got a sense about some of his focus areas for the center as he settles into his role as AFLCMC/CC.

One important thing we learned during the discussion is his idea of what makes a team, when he said. "A team is more than just a gathering of people. What makes a team more than just a gathering of people is a common purpose and a shared set of values."

He then explained that we have a shared set of values in the Air Force Core Values, and that we can evaluate everything we do in this organization through the lens of our core values.

For more information on all things related to AFLCMC visit our website at:

https://www.aflcmc.af.mil.

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Welcome back for another episode of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Leadership Log podcast.

This week we celebrate one of our own.

James Tipton is the lead engineer for three B-1 ACAT III programs, and the software sustainment program at AFLCMC’s B-1 program office located at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma.

He was recently honored as a recipient of the 2020 Gears of Government President's Award for his innovative approach to the Air Force's B-1 Bomber modernization and sustainment activities.

The Gears of Government Awards are designed to drive a culture of excellence and continuous improvement, which ultimately provides the federal workforce with tools and ideas to better serve the American people.

The individuals and teams recognized exemplify the hard work and innovation essential to achieving the President’s vision for a modern, effective government.

Award recipients embody the values of mission, service, and stewardship, and their stories display the impact public servants are making across the government.

Lt. Col. Timothy Jackson is the B-1 System Program Office deputy director. He remarked about the importance of Tipton’s work.

He said, "The B-1 is one of the backbones that Air Force Global Strike Command relies on every single day to continue meeting the National Defense Strategy. Individual contributors like Mr. Tipton who consistently go the extra mile and demonstrate daily dedication supporting the warfighter, are the keystones that keep the weapon system doing what the Air Force needs it to do to protect every American's civil liberty."

"I'm honored to be recognized for this prestigious award," said Tipton. "This achievement I believe is really a reflection of the dedication and hard work across the B-1 division."

For more information on all things related to AFLCMC visit our website at: https://www.aflcmc.af.mil.

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Do you know how Air Force uniforms are developed?

Have you heard of the Berry Amendment, otherwise known as (10 U.S.C. 2533a), and do you know how it impacts Department of Defense procurement of certain goods and services?

Have you heard of the Air Force Ideation Platform, and did you know that you can be an intricate part of improving existing uniforms, or developing future uniforms?

Welcome back for another episode of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s leadership log podcast.

We get answers to these questions, and much more this week, as we take a behind the scenes look at the Air Force Uniform Office, which is part of the Agile Combat Support Directorate and is located on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

Tracy Roan is chief of the Air Force Uniform Office. She and her staff of 19 industry professionals take care of the uniform needs of members of the Air Force and now members of the Space Force as well.

As she put it during our discussion, the work that her team does day in and day out literally touches every Airman, and soon every Space Force member, everyday.

If you want to see the uniforms that we talk about in this episode check out the video version on our you tube channel. There is a link to it below.

If you are interested in being part of the uniform improvement process then visit the USAF Ideation platform at: https://usaf.ideascalegov.com.

For more information on all things related to AFLCMC visit our website at:

https://www.aflcmc.af.mil.

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We identify feedback in the workplace as a communication process between managers and employees used to course correct and improve poor performance. It’ s also used to reinforce and encourage good performance.

In this episode we talk with two seasoned leaders who over the course of their careers have spent countless hours both in giving and in getting feedback.

AFLCMC's command chief Chief Master Sgt. Troie Croft and Agile Combat Support Directorate's senior enlisted leader Chief Master Sgt. Ted Angel reflect on lessons they've learned from their many years engaged in the feedback process.

A few of their key takeaways are: know your people, balance the good with the bad, be persistent and spend most of the time listening.

As noted author Steven Covey wrote in his book the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People "Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”

For more information on all things related to AFLCMC visit our website at:

https://www.aflcmc.af.mil.

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