Lt. Gen. C.D. Moore II outlines the way ahead for AFLCMC

  • Published
  • By Amy Rollins
  • Skywrighter Staff
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  In the first of several town hall meetings, Lt. Gen. C.D. Moore II, the inaugural commander of the new Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) shared thoughts, themes, goals and challenges Aug. 1 at Kenney Hall, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

The center, which has 26,000 employees, was created as Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) consolidated the number of centers from 12 to five.

AFLCMC stood up as an organization on July 9 and began incorporating directorates from former AFMC Centers to achieve its current configuration on July 20. Although operations began immediately, Initial Operating Capability (IOC) is scheduled to occur on Oct. 1 to align with the start of the new fiscal year.

AFLCMC provides "cradle to grave" management of Air Force aircraft, communications, armaments, cyber and other systems. Its major operating locations include Wright-Patt; Hanscom AFB, Mass.; Eglin AFB, Fla.; Maxwell AFB's Gunter Annex in Ala.; and program offices at each of the air logistics complexes at Tinker AFB, Okla.; Robins AFB, Ga.; and Hill AFB, Utah.

It's not often that you get to be part of something new, General Moore said, acknowledging the heritage of AFLCMC's predecessor organizations.

"There are tremendous opportunities for us as a new organization."

Who is the new guy?

To introduce himself, General Moore revealed some personal details: He is from a small town in Washington State; is married and father to two children, with a son in the Air Force; has been commissioned for more than 32 years; has had seven previously assigned field acquisition duties, working at Aeronautical Systems Center, AFMC twice and the Pentagon three times. General Moore has more than 3,000 flight hours in 30 types of aircraft. Prior to assuming his current position, he was AFMC vice commander.

AFMC mission, vision and priorities

AFLCMC is obviously part of a new organizational structure within AFMC, but the command's mission remains the same, General Moore said: to deliver war-winning expeditionary capabilities to the warfighter.

He previewed the AFLCMC emblem which is a few weeks away from final release. In its current form, its design includes a golden globe on a field of blue, with an upright lance through its middle, representing AFLCMC's heritage of developing munitions, and a pair of electronic lightning bolts almost encircling it, symbolizing electronic systems, today very much so of the cyber realm. The stylized triangular aircraft-cradled at the top of the lightning bolts and lance represents the aircraft systems AFLCMC manages. All are tied together in an integrated way to underscore "24/7, on time, on cost, with war-winning capabilities to the warfighter."

Strategic plan is in development stage

A strategic plan for AFLCMC is being built around the center's draft objectives:
· Acquire innovative and supportable warfighter solutions;
· Meet urgent operational needs through rapid materiel solutions;
· Deliver cost-effective, on-time solutions to U.S. and international partners;
· Implement product support, planning and governance to balance resources, priorities and mandates;
· Strengthen workforce skill base across the AFLCMC enterprise;
· Continue focus on improvement of processes and internal controls.

"The onus is on us now to determine those specific objectives and measures that are going to show us we are making progress, to do our job more effectively and efficiently," General Moore said.

Thoughts on rules of engagement

He confided that the organization was not perfect on Day 1; there is still work to do. "I promise you, the planning process going forward -- that we used over the last year -- will continue."

Establishing the right set of enterprise-level metrics to ensure the organization is meeting MAJCOM goals and priorities and user expectations will be important. Most important will be building teams that think and act beyond geographical boundaries to act with enterprise-level responsibility, the general said.

Well defined metrics and leading indicators help to "ensure we are doing the right thing" for the warfighter and taxpaying customers, General Moore said.

Growing a skilled, trained workforce will be extremely important, and staffing adjustments will be necessary. Most communication will be conducted through directorate and functional leaders and other direct reports, with the chain of command used for normal, day-to-day operations.

Unity will be fundamental to the new center's success.

"As we are getting ready to roll out the new five-center construct, one integrated team is absolutely essential. When we are successful, it's because we did that right," General Moore said.

AFLCMC themes

He touched on the "why" of performing the AFLCMC mission. "What we do is important. I tell folks the reason I've been wearing the uniform for 36 years [since entering the Academy] is I believe that. When I don't believe it anymore, I'll hang up the uniform. What you do is so, so important for our nation, and for the warfighter. I thank you for what you do every day."

Several slides were used to show AFLCMC's organization; a snapshot of program executive officers, other directorates and key support organizations; and a map indicating the center's various 75 locations, satellite offices and other locations with AFLCMC representation.

The key challenges

Key challenges General Moore highlighted are: meeting mission requirements in a resource-constrained environment, with budget reductions likely, with or without sequestration (resulting in DoD budget cuts); being postured to adjust to reductions; a rapidly changing world, with growing asymmetric threats, and the need to be innovative and responsive in delivery of integrated, cross-portfolio solutions.

"I am absolutely confident that working with all those who are involved in managing and supporting weapons systems that we can do the right thing, that we can set up the right processes to ensure mission success," General Moore said.

Regrowing the culture of life cycle management is essential. "That's where I think we have some new challenges," he said.

Expectations and vision

Open communication, keeping leadership informed to avoid surprises, process discipline and forging teams to build trust and understanding to break down barriers were among the expectations General Moore articulated. Accompanying this was a call to take care of people and a foundation of integrity to always do the right thing.

After outlining his expectations and vision for the organization, General Moore concluded that AFLCMC is now one integrated team focused on a core mission of program management and product support. The new structure offers amazing advantages and potential to improve support for the warfighter, he said.

A brief question and answer session ended the town hall. Questions ranged from sequestration/budget reductions and process standardization to referring to other AFLCMC locations as "Team Hanscom," or "Team Eglin."

"We're not holding onto 'legacy' names because we have to forge a new integrated team and create a culture around AFLCMC," he said. "It's time for folks to embrace the fact that some of these legacy organizations are now part of the greater whole."

General Moore thanked the audience for its support. "I am so thrilled to be back. This is just such a unique opportunity for all of us to help build an organization from the bottom up.

"How good can you make it? It's a clean sheet," he said. "It takes courageous and bold leadership to say, 'Let's try something new and different. Let's break down some of those process barriers and let's embrace what somebody else does as the best practice.'This is exciting."