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AFSO 21 at war

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. David Glass
  • 451st Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan --  Many Airmen have heard of Air force Smart Operations for the 21st Century, or AFSO 21, and know that it is a set of procedures for improving our processes and eliminating waste. But how many Airmen think of applying AFSO 21 in a war zone?

Recently, the 451st Expeditionary Maintenance Group took the first steps on its continuous process improvement journey by initiating a rapid improvement event in the A-10 Phase Inspection shelter. 

The purpose of the event was to apply an organization method called "6S." The term refers to the six "s" words in the tool: sort, straighten, sweep, standardize, sustain, and safety. Simply put, 6S is a process that ensures everything has a place and that everything is in its place.

During the three-day event, a five-man team was led by Master Sgt. Emery Makany and consisted of Senior Airman John Grady, Staff Sgt. Chad Brewer, Tech. Sgt. Charles Anderson and Capt. Tony Vieira.

After a brief Lean training session, the team proceeded to inventory all of the items in the shelter. In doing so, they were able to sort tools, equipment and supplies that were essential to the A-10 Phase Inspection operation and segregate the things they did not need or use.

Once finished, the team straightened the area and gave it a good cleaning by sweeping the floors and turning in unneeded items to supply. 

The last part of the process involved identifying where the best places were to store required tools, equipment and supplies and standardize the shelter by clearly marking where the items should be placed. 

The trick now is to sustain the effort to ensure a clean and safe working environment. 

Although a relatively short event, the team was able to identify more than 270 items that were non-value added to their aircraft inspection effort. By turning them in to supply, the Air Force was able to recoup more than $1.08 million. Additionally, the team freed up more than 125 square feet of the shelter providing more space and a safer working environment.

As we continue to fight the war, remember AFSO 21 isn't just applied at home station, but can be used in a combat zone to help us better meet the mission.