Conaton Wants Airmen to INVEST in Future

Conaton Wants Airmen to INVEST in Future: Air

Force Undersecretary Erin Conaton is urging airmen to come forward and share their best ideas on how the Defense Department could operate more efficiently. "The Air Force strongly supports the [Defense] Secretary's overall campaign for greater efficiency, and I encourage each of you to submit your ideas for consideration," she wrote in an electronic message distributed to all airmen. Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Robert Gates established a program called Innovation for New Value, Efficiency, and Savings Tomorrow, or INVEST. It is designed to give US military personnel and civilian defense employees an avenue for submitting their thoughts. Wanted are ideas that are "thorough, cost effective, low-risk, simple to implement, yield multi-faceted savings, and have a high return on investment," according to a USAF release Tuesday. The submittal deadline is Sept. 24. DOD is providing cash prizes for the 25 ideas judged best. (INVEST website)

8/25/2010

On the Record

Mission One
"The health and safety of our pilots—all of our pilots—is our utmost priority. Our operational flight surgeons and our medical staff interact with our pilots on a daily basis."
—Brig. Gen. Daniel Wyman, Air Combat Command command surgeon, speaking to reporters during a teleconference, May 9, 2012. He was emphasizing that the Air Force is doing all it can to ensure the safety of F-22 pilots as service officials continue to home in on the cause of why some Raptor pilots have experienced hypoxia-like symptoms in the cockpit like difficulty concentrating, fatigue, headaches, and nausea.

On the Record

Message to Congress
"If you give us force structure back, give us the money, too. Because the quickest way I know to a hollow force is to give us structure without money. Simple as that. . . . 'Make it work' is not a satisfactory solution."
—Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz articulating his message to lawmakers on the Air Force's Fiscal 2013 budget proposal during a speech at the Stimson Center in Washington, D.C., May 1, 2012. The Air Force leadership has proposed reducing force structure and personnel next fiscal year in order to maintain a ready and capable force as the service absorbs significant spending cuts.