Same game, bigger field.(Air Force Logistics Management Agency)

AFLMA's Transformation

As a major user of the Air Force's materiel and personnel resources, the logistics community bears a large part of the responsibility for finding better and less costly ways of doing business.... an urgent need exists for an organization which could provide continuity to Air Force innovations designed to improve logistics support as well as develop less costly ways of doing business. (1)

Fast forward 30 years, change functional alignment a couple of times and rename the "Center" to "Agency" ... this statement is still as relevant today as it was on 15 May 1975 when Lieutenant General William W. Snavely, the deputy chief of staff for systems and logistics petitioned the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff to establish the Air Force Logistics Management Center (AFLMC). He goes on to state " ... the establishment of an Air Force Logistics Management Center would provide the means for realizing greater logistics systems improvements and attendant savings...." (2)

Past and Future States

Lieutenant General Snavely's sentiment was re-emphasized when, in 2004, the AFLMA was tapped by the Air Force Directorate of Innovation and Transformation to help lead the way in transforming the Expeditionary Logistics for the 21st Century (eLog21) vision into a strategic map of future logistics business processes, systems, and organizations. (3) This transformation effort is revolutionizing how the Air Force provides supply chain support from reactionary and functionally stovepiped to one that is anticipatory (planning based) and integrated. The overall goal of eLog21 is to create an efficient, integrated logistics enterprise system that allows for a seamless transition from peace to war. (4)

With a history replete with tackling and solving the toughest logistics challenges, the Air Force Logistics Management Agency's (AFLMA) primary focus has always been base-level, retail issues. With the advent of an enterprise resource planning system, the need for a logistics research agency devoted to baselevel issues diminishes, but the requirement for an enterprise view becomes much more relevant. Therefore, in conjunction with the Air Force logistics transformation, the AFLMA is transforming to support the new logistics construct that will be based on an enterprise architecture. While we will still maintain our core competencies of in-depth studies and analysis (S&A), wargames, and publications, our unique cadre of cross-functional researchers is broadening from a predominantly base-level focus to an enterprise view of logistics research. Our end-state role is to be the logistics …