WESTFIELD, Mass. – The 104th Fighter Wing hosted 15 subject matter experts from the Air National Guard Production Assessment Team Dec. 13-16 to identify ways the unit can be more efficient and effective.
The PAT’s purpose is to improve practices and offer data-driven discussions to enable ANG units to meet the daily aircraft requirements outlined in the National Defense Strategy and the National Military Strategy documents.
“This is 100% to increase aircraft availability and decrease not-mission-capable maintenance numbers,” said Col. Brian McCullough, special assistant to National Guard Bureau A4 and PAT team lead. “It’s been great here. Everyone has been super receptive to our presence and more than open to recommendations.”
On the first day of its visit, the team provided data showing the immediate and longer-term success other units have had since working with them. Field-level experts from maintenance and logistics career fields, including production, analysis, and supplies, worked with their 104FW counterparts the rest of the week.
“As always, we welcome any outside agency to look at our wing objectively and recommend how we can improve our readiness and mission execution,” said Col. David ‘Moon’ Halasi-Kun, 104FW commander. “This team has provided us some excellent recommendations, and I think we provided them some practices that can be shared with all ANG fighter wings. The experience was mutually beneficial. The staff now better understands the challenges faced in the field, and we received advice from subject matter experts.”
McCullough said the PAT is creating a library of best practices, so units can go to the library and determine if they are doing them.
“This is our eighth PAT and second F-15 unit that we’ve done,” said McCullough. “What we’re compiling are best practices. Some of them are Air Force Instruction-driven. Some of them are thinking outside the box, but still within the left and right limit of what the AFI says.”
The 104FW and the ANG PAT will continue to communicate via periodic check-ins to ensure things are trending in the right direction, something Col. Steven Reynolds, 104th Maintenance Group commander, said he wanted.
“The 104th Maintenance Group is constantly striving to enhance processes, increase efficiency and improve combat lethality,” said Reynolds. “We requested NGB A4 to send a Production Assessment Team to conduct a thorough review of the unit to ensure we are on the right track. We are an outstanding unit that is focused on the development of Airmen, execution of safety and health measures, maintenance 101, and overall mission readiness.”