KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Under an Air Force Global Strike Command initiative, the 377th Air Base Wing commander, Col. David S. Miller, will launch a nine-week campaign Feb. 1 at Kirtland AFB designed to foster an “innovation movement” in every wing work center.
“Innovation is one of the four pillars of AFGSC ‘Striker Culture.’ If you’re part of the 377th Air Base Wing, I need your ideas for how to make our missions happen more efficiently and effectively. Yes, we have to operate safely and with attention to detail, under regulations, instructions, rules and other guidance, but within those boundaries, we have room to try new approaches, when they make sense and help us move forward. We want to release the creative forces in our Airmen, with a focus on generating ideas that solve problems and make processes better,” he said.
As visible symbols of the push for innovation, ‘Culture Walls’ will be put up in the 377th ABW headquarters, group facilities, and in the base Welcome Center. The walls will be made of 20 to 30 individual tiles, each featuring images and phrases designed to be conversation starters. Although each wall is different, every wall has tiles in common that reinforce the themes that unite the entire wing.
Organizers say that during the innovation movement campaign, wing and group leadership will engage Airmen in activities that reinforce the norms, beliefs and behaviors that will lead to an environment that nurtures, supports and rewards innovative behaviors and mindsets. This is a focused effort to celebrate, promote and begin to practice the innovation movement.
The campaign will include an innovation challenge, in which Tigers can submit their ideas to solve a problem or take advantage of an opportunity, using an online form at https://www.research.net/r/377ABWInnovation. All submissions will be evaluated by a panel and considered for referral to relevant unit leadership for command review and possible implementation.
In the near future, the 377th ABW will dedicate space on the Kirtland AFB website to house information on the campaign. When the site is developed and populated, it will be included in information updates. That site will tie in with material about the AFGSC “Striker Culture” currently posted on https://www.kirtland.af.mil/About-Us/377ABW-Striker-Culture/.
The Air Force’s heritage of innovation is reflected in the installation’s identity. The base is named for Col. Roy C. Kirtland, an early U.S. military aviation pioneer who earned his pilot wings in 1911 by training in a Wright Brothers aircraft. One innovation he is credited with is piloting the first aircraft to carry and fire a machine gun in flight, in 1912.