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Gen. Mike Minihan, Commander of Air Mobility Command, visits the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station June 8, 2024.

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Niagara implements "lean thinking"

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Andrew Caya
  • 914th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
NIAGARA FALLS AIR RESERVE STATION, N.Y. --  Airmen of the 914th Airlift Wing attended Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century Green Belt training here, at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, November 14- 17.

"AFSO21 Green belt training is the introduction to the Air Forces' 'lean' way of thinking," said Logistics Plans Non Commissioned Officer Staff Sgt. Bridget Williams, 914th Logistics Readiness Squadron.

"Lean thinking gives us the opportunity to improve and maintain levels of consistency to prevent failed processes," said 914th LRS Logistics Management NCO Tech Sgt. Vicky Hogenmiller. "Lean thinking removes the 'We've always done it this way' concept and allows for fresh, innovative thinking and continuous improvement."

The Green Belt Training focused on the basics behind the program, introducing concepts such as waste elimination, organizational change management and process improvement tools.

A goal of the training is develop organic capabilities so that each unit has an expert to run more smoothly. Because of this set up, anyone has the opportunity to partake in this training process.

"This training gives the Airmen generic tools and guidelines that can translate across the spectrum of career fields," said 914th Airlift Wing Process Manager Capt. Jen Baumgartner. "The main objective is to reduce redundancies, non-value added steps and waste in a process."

With budget cuts on the forefront of the minds of many Airmen, Baumgartner made one thing clear.

"Leaning down a process does not mean getting rid of people. People are never waste in a process," she said. "We need to streamline the increasing demands on the Airmen and eliminate waste so it's not such a heavy burden on the unit members."

Deployments can be very draining to a unit however; these reservists see the silver lining in the high operations tempos in and out of warzones.

"Lean thinking is becoming a crucial component in creating a 'Smarter' Air Force," said Hogenmiller. "Currently military assets are deployed all over the word but the mission at home does not get put on hold due to deployments or short staffing. Turnovers and deployments are a significant barrier but an even more significant opportunity to implement lean thinking practices."

Overall, the instruction of Green Belt Training was widely accepted and appreciated by the troops who went through it.

"The training was awesome," said Baumgartner. "The units picked outstanding candidates for the course."

"The training builds on the strengths of each Airman, stimulates creativity, and enhances the ability to forecast potential problems," said Williams. "The 'lean' principles improve each Airman's ability to align their processes with the Air Forces' efficient and effective way of thinking and operating and applying your lean training to your workspace will not only improve your physical environment, but is a great sanctuary for mental clarity as well."