Teamwork is key to Operational Readiness Inspection success Published Nov. 29, 2006 By Col. Fred Cheney 71st Mission Support Group Vance Air Force Base, Okla. -- As I sit here writing what will probably be my last editorial as commander of the 71st Mission Support Group for the Airscoop, all my energy is focused on finding ways to help Team Vance succeed in the upcoming Air Education and Training Command Operational Readiness Inspection. Although it's important for the wing, group and squadron leadership to focus on ORI success, we will fail without the dedication and hard work of every member of Team Vance. The bottom line is that if we are going to excel in the ORI, every member of Team Vance is going to have to make an extra effort to come together as one team to prepare and train in these last few days we have left before the inspector general team arrives. We are engaged in and winning the Global War on Terrorism. This war makes tremendous demands on our nation. The side effects of this war effort are felt at a contract training wing, such as Vance Air Force Base, in terms of a drastic shortage of fully trained enlisted manpower. This shortage of fully trained enlisted manpower will make teamwork even more essential than ever during our ORI. As a result, many of you have already begun to fulfill either a wartime augmentation duty or you may have been nominated by your commanders to serve on the honor guard or both. In the near future, virtually every Airman at Vance AFB will be assigned an augmentation duty outside of their normal Air Force Specialty Code. This requirement will become part of the normal way of doing business at Vance AFB, as the nation continues the Global War on Terrorism. We need every member of Team Vance to dedicate themselves to both their primary team (i.e. flight, squadron, group, etc.) and to their augmentation team (i.e. honor guard, security forces augmentee, etc.) if we are to succeed. Augmentation duty is just one key area where we must and will pull together as teams. There are three other areas where teamwork will be essential that I'd like to highlight: self inspection, administrative support, and ... finally the breaking down of "stovepipes." Self inspection will make or break us during the ORI. There are three key elements in self inspection: identifying problems, documenting problems, and fixing problems. Self inspection is a continuous process ... it never really ends. Here's how you can help as a team member -- if you see something wrong, immediately bring it to your supervisor's attention. Don't wait for a formal inspection to discover the problem. All too often, you are the functional expert who will point out a problem when the rest of us can't see "the forest for the trees." Even better, if you recognize a problem, suggest a solution -- it's bound to help the team succeed! Administrative support is another area where teamwork will be of paramount importance. As many of you know, we are drastically short of work group managers, or 3A's, and personnelists, or 3S's. In fact, we are so short of these key skills, we will no longer be able to supply one of each AFSC to each squadron. As a result, the 71st Operations Group and the 71st MSG have been forced to create consolidated commanders' support staffs at the group level. The 71st Medical Group CSS was already consolidated. The consolidated CSS's at the group level will enable us to leverage the limited 3A and 3S assets we own to provide the best support possible. The downside of this move will be an almost total absence of 3A and 3S people in our squadrons. This is where teamwork will be a key player. Everyone will need to jump in and offer help to fill the additional duties once covered by the 3A and 3S people. In many cases, officers will need to pick up squadron responsibilities formerly accomplished by Airmen and NCOs. We all recognize that this isn't the optimum situation, but it's what we have to do to succeed with our limited manpower. Here's another way you can help the entire Team Vance in this area ... if you know that administrative requirements such as your virtual record of emergency data, ancillary training, immunizations, or any other requirements are due or overdue, be proactive. Contact the right people to get these requirements up to speed, don't make them find you. The last area I will highlight where teamwork is vital is what I call "breaking down the stovepipes." Because of our AFSCs, we tend to perform most of our duties within narrow functional stovepipes. In addition, we also operate within organizational stovepipes called flights, squadrons and groups. For Team Vance to be successful, we must be willing to work outside our stovepipes. When our work is complete in our functional area, we must seek out our fellow Airman who may be overwhelmed with work and offer whatever assistance we can. Sometimes the work is so technical that there is little help that can be offered beyond moral support, but this is not normally the case. Sometimes, a little moral support from a teammate is just what the doctor ordered. Similarly, if you have a great program in your flight or squadron, share it! Share your great ideas and great programs so that we'll all succeed! We have a lot of work to do before we are ready for the ORI ... and very little time. In many ways, the preparation we go through for the ORI is most of the point of the ORI ... it forces us to take a hard look at ourselves and build teamwork. Despite the fact that there is a lot of work left to do, I'm confident that Team Vance is up to the challenge. As a proud member of Team Vance for almost two years, I've seen our force of officers, enlisted, Department of Defense civilians, and contractors conquer challenge after challenge. By emphasizing the "Team" in Team Vance, I'm sure we will overcome the short-term challenges we face and achieve victory in the ORI!