448th SCMW achieves mission, develops work force

Published March 14, 2011
By Brandice J. O'Brien
Tinker Public Affairs

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The 448th Supply Chain Management Wing is a people-oriented business and one that director Gilbert Montoya said makes him proud.

Comprised of nearly 3,000 personnel -- of which, roughly 1,300 military and civilians are assigned to Tinker -- the wing is the planning and execution arm of the Air Force Global Logistics Support Center. Each day, the 448th SCMW focuses on supporting the warfighters' supply needs by directing them to the appropriate location for their necessities.

"We genuinely take pride in providing the finest service to the warfighter. We are the leader in supply chain management," said Mr. Montoya. "The bottom line is nobody flies without supply. If we don't get the right parts to the right place at the right time, then aircraft will be grounded, which will affect the Air Force mission and national security."

Nearly three years ago, the Air Force breathed life into a new concept: a single point of entry into the Air Force supply chain and introduced the AFGLSC. Based at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., the center is comprised of two wings and seven groups. In addition to the 448th SCMW, two groups -- 848th and 948th Supply Chain Management Groups -- are here.

The 448th SCMW forecasts parts supply and aids foreign countries, Department of Defense services, the Air Force's major commands, various weapon supply managers and the depot maintenance wings.

Mr. Montoya said items managed by the 448th SCMW are either procured by the Defense Logistics Agency, obtained by the AFGLSC Contracting Directorate for contract repair or accepted by depot maintenance wings for organic repair. But, the 448th SCMW is working to improve their processes and increase parts supportability by studying shortfalls and implementing mitigation actions. None of which could be achieved without the support of the supply chain maintenance wing team, which he strives to make the finest in the Air Force.

But, it's not easy.

Mr. Montoya and his team are often faced with challenges including an increase in obsolete parts, improving forecasting techniques, increasing the ability to support aircraft availability and reducing administrative lead time. Plus, the director said one of the challenges he faces is providing his employees with the necessary training and tools to effectively do their jobs.

"The work force strategy work-stream made great strides in developing a sustainable supply chain management certification framework for our people and we have recently embarked on an aggressive strategic goal for achieving 100-percent planned skills mix across the organization," Mr. Montoya said. "This strategy ensures our personnel are poised with the right skills and competencies to accomplish the mission today and into the future to provide the right people, with the right skills, to the right job function and at the right time."

Despite the challenges, the 448th SCMW has excelled, claiming several noteworthy achievements. Among them, Mr. Montoya said the most notable is in 2010 the AFGLSC won the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Work Force Development bronze award. It was the second consecutive time the AFGLSC took home the honor.

"That is really focused on our people," Mr. Montoya said. "A lot of our efforts are tied to better forecasting and better supportability, but for me, if we can help our people be more agile, responsive and help them become certified, that will be the biggest achievement as our wing here."