Eglin first stop for new commander

  • Published
  • By Capt. Carrie L. Kessler
  • 96th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Air Force Materiel Command's new leader is looking for fresh ideas and continuous improvement across the board, but he isn't planning drastic changes in conducting the command's mission.

"Change of command is not change of course," said Gen. Don Hoffman, who took command of AFMC Nov. 21. "But we need to adopt a mindset of leaving things better than we found them."

During his first visit as AFMC commander to Eglin Dec. 5, General Hoffman held an Air Armament Center town hall meeting. In a follow-up interview with 96th Air Base Wing Public Affairs, General Hoffman elaborated on several topics he said are important, including acquisition excellence, resources conservation, job vacancies, motivating experienced military and civilian Airmen to stay with the Air Force, workforce diversity, and safety.

During the two-day visit, he said he gained an appreciation for infrastructure issues, community interaction, the challenges of the Joint Strike Fighter bed-down, range management, and the complexity of airspace management.

"Our profession is a lethal business," the general said. "We must be professional and do it right to maintain the confidence and trust of American citizens."

That regard for tax-paying citizens is one of the motivators the general emphasizes when he talks about achieving consistent and comprehensive excellence in the acquisition of weapon systems. "Treat every dollar, every dime, as if it were your own," he said, adding that while consumption of resources is, of course, necessary, the command must be vigilant in doing so responsibly.

It's even more important to use human resources responsibly, and the command currently has some challenges in that arena, the general said.

"We have to get the vacancies that exist in our workforce filled," General Hoffman said. "And then properly evaluate whether we need to shift the workforce into different specialties, such as systems engineering, contracting or cost pricing, to meet our acquisition excellence goals."

In addition, keeping experienced personnel is a priority for the commander.

"If a person has worked somewhere for 15 years, it takes 15 years to replace them - not one day," he said. "We want talent to stay. We've invested in them."

General Hoffman also values workforce diversity.

"Diversity is strength. Embrace it," he advised.

As a big believer in managing for continuous improvement, the general isn't a proponent of the catchphrase, "do more with less." He said it's just as important in the workplace to decide what not to do as it is to decide what to do.

"All throughout our careers we're told what to do," he said. "Very rarely are we told what we can let go of so we can focus somewhere else." He would like to see that approach become standard practice.

Safety is also high on the general's list of focus areas. He said leadership has to be assertive to the point of intrusiveness when it comes to safety. Apart from the well-being of Airmen, he said, "we can't get our mission done if we can't survive."

With its infrastructure challenges and the upcoming changes Eglin will face as it hosts the new Joint Strike Fighter training mission, General Hoffman reminded people that "attitude can go a long way.

"I saw an enthusiasm here that's inspiring," he said. "You don't always see that in other areas, but it "certainly applies to Team Eglin."

General Hoffman noted that Eglin's emphasis on alternative and renewable energy sources is strong.

"Eglin has a good plan," he said. "But for all of us, the first step when we talk about energy is conservation. If you're going to design your own private, energy-efficient house, the most important thing you can do is go on an energy diet first because it makes everything else so much easier. We all need to go on an energy diet."

The general, who now leads a workforce of about 74,000, said Eglin is almost a microcosm of AFMC.

"If you had the depot down here, we'd have a miniature AFMC," he said. "You do everything from laboratory work and designing to actually running the program offices that produce the armament and testing them."

Before departing the base, the general noted his appreciation for the work of all Team Eglin members.

"With the tools and resources we've given you," General Hoffman said, "you're doing a great job."