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AFGLSC commander visits Oklahoma

  • Published
  • By Howdy Stout
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla., --  Maj. Gen. Gary McCoy, who took command of the Air Force Global Logistics Support Center last November, made his second visit to Tinker for meetings to discuss key programs and initiatives with the 448th Supply Chain Management Wing. Prior to arriving at Tinker he met with key commercial partners in Texas.

"The goal of the AFGLSC is to be a premier leader in supply chain management," General McCoy said. Meeting that goal means being more efficient and effective through better planning and execution, he said. He also stated that supply chain management organizations thriving in the private sector are very good at predicting customer needs, which allows for more effective planning and precise execution.

General McCoy said, "The Air Force can apply private-sector methods to improve planning and better meet the needs of the Air Force without putting a strain on existing budgets. I believe industry has found ways to model customer needs in terms of demand planning with a high degree of accuracy."

Accurate forecasts of customer needs means the AFGLSC can better plan and deliver the logistical support to meet those needs, and "that's why we exist," General McCoy said.

The Air Force is also developing new methods and strategies to cope with aging "legacy" products. For the AFGLSC, this means sustaining supply support to aging aircraft, like the

KC-135 fleet, which is still in service long after their original design life. This means not only are the air logistics centers replacing and repairing parts never projected to be maintained, but the AFGLSC must source parts that were once produced by manufacturers that now no longer exist. "Older airplanes give you challenges, but we are ready to meet that challenge" General McCoy said.

The Air Force's logistics enterprise is rethinking its aircraft sustainment strategy. For example, the B-1B is being considered for the new High Velocity Maintenance program, which would prescribe more frequent, but shorter scheduled inspections to significantly reduce the number of unscheduled maintenance activities and increase aircraft availability. A key element of this program is synchronizing part delivery with the scheduled inspection cycle to minimize downtime and accelerate preventative maintenance. The AFGLSC would be an integral part of this initiative.

"It's great when you can repair things fast," he said, "but you still have to make sure we have all the parts needed to support the maintainers."

A key objective of General McCoy's visit involved reviewing the 448th SCMW's 1000-Day Strategic Plan, which improves forecasts of customer demands and supply sourcing, while formalizing continuous process improvement efforts. The 448th SCMW recently was recognized for developing the best logistics strategy in the Department of Defense during the 2008 Annual North American Logistics Conference.

With the AFGLSC operating at seven different locations and still being a relatively young organization, a little over a year old, General McCoy emphasized the importance of visiting his units frequently to see how he can help them do their jobs better, and to look them in the eye and shake their hands for a job well done. "As commander, I work for the over 4,300 people in the AFGLSC and I am honored to be a part of this great team", the general said.

Gen. McCoy had high praise for the 448th SCMW.

"I'm very proud of the folks here at Tinker," he said. "We have some very smart, dedicated and hard-working people...to support the greatest Air Force in the world."

He also praised the support from the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center and its commander, Maj. Gen. P. David Gillett Jr., saying "he and his predecessor have been exceptional in their support."

General McCoy will share information learned on this visit with colleagues at an AFGLSC Visioning Conference in June. During the conference he will talk with logistics leaders from across DOD and the private sector about how to improve customer support and bring those proven techniques back to the Air Force.

"The whole intent is to bring in the best of the best and learn from them. We will then apply what we learn to further enable the AFGLSC to deliver war winning capability on-time, on-cost," he said.