Air Force Life Cycle Management Center initiative focuses on customer support

  • Published
  • By Brian Brackens
  • 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – In 2015, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center started an initiative to visit the organizations that operate and maintain weapon systems the Center supports.

Known as customer support visits, the trips take acquisition experts and senior leaders to the “front lines” to talk face-to-face with customers and see firsthand the issues they are dealing with.

Brig. Gen. Maureen Banavige, the mobilization assistant to the commander of the AFLCMC, has made these trips a priority since she came on board Oct. 1, 2017.

Recently, Banavige travelled to Moody and Whiteman Air Force Bases as well as Selfridge and Fort Wayne Air National Guard Bases, with a team of experts to speak with A-10 operators and maintainers to ensure they had the resources they need to accomplish their mission.

Traveling with Banavige were the program executive officer for Fighters and Bombers, officials from the A-10 Program Office, senior representatives from Air Combat Command, the Defense Logistics Agency, the Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve Command and members of the sustainment community.

“This is a great program because the units get to see directly the people who manage their programs, and see the cross-team collaboration that goes on on their behalf on a daily basis,” Banavige said. “They also help everyone understand each other’s viewpoint better. Often, many issues can be resolved right there during the visit.”

The trips are not just about building relationships, Banavige added, but also about solving problems and improving capability. In fact, the team lead by Banavige was able to solve several issues for the A-10 organizations they visited.

Over the last two years, participants developed approximately 500 action items and have resolved more than 70 percent of them, Banavige said.

Since 2015, AFLCMC has conducted eight customer support visits to six major commands and more than 30 bases.

The next visit is scheduled for May 7-10. The team will tour locations operating OC-135s, RC-135s, and UH-1Ns.