Adaptability and evolution – breaking the paradigm

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. S. Troy Pananon
  • 60th Operations Support Squadron commander
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend an Airman Leadership School graduation during which one of our graduates, Staff Sgt. Joseph Dufault, was asked by the Operations Group commander, "what's your leadership philosophy?"

Without hesitation, he responded "Sir, adaptability and evolution." Dufault believed a leader needed to be capable of adapting to any given situation and also have the ability to evolve with the changing times or environment. It was truly refreshing to hear that point of view. Sergeant Dufault's perspective on leadership hit the mark.

As a matter of fact, one of the greatest mobility pioneers, Lt. Gen. William Tunner, personified the spirit of these principles during his command of "Over the Hump" operations nearly 70 years ago. These airlift missions flown from India were the strategic lifeline for U.S. and Chinese military forces based in China during World War II. The "Hump" route over the Himalayan Mountains was extremely treacherous, inefficient and contributed to low morale within the unit. Tunner analyzed the situation and implemented an innovative system and concept of operations that completely transformed the way they conducted business in the region. Within six months, Tunner cut aircraft and personnel losses in half, doubled the amount of cargo delivered and restored unit morale. Tunner succeeded where others failed because he was willing and prepared to break the paradigm in order to successfully and safely complete the mission.

A few months ago, the wing authorized the establishment of the Digital Air Wing Initiative, a concept introduced by a team of airmen led by Capt. Jeff Gilmore. Its charter is to find innovative methods for conducting business across the Wing in the digital medium.

In the coming months, aircrew operations across the Mobility Air Forces will start their transformation to the digital age with the implementation of the Electronic Flight Bag, an initiative started by Lt. Col. Keith Whitehouse and the Wing Combat Operations and Tactics office at Travis. Not only will it be a significant change in the way we operate, but it has the potential to save the Department of Defense an estimated $27 million a year.

The DAWI and EFB have and will be successful because we embraced the technology and were willing to change the current concept of operations. We may face a different set of challenges than our predecessors, but as long as we remain adaptable and are able to rapidly adjust to evolution, we will continue to maintain our dominance as the best Air Force in the world.