The United States Air Force - Case Study Example

1 In the military, the person with the most rank is not always the person in charge. A Major is completely at the mercy of the Sgt. Assignment clerk. A Master Sergeant with 15 years experience will often believe whatever the Finance Senior Airman tells him, as long as it relates to finance. Virtually everything the es is covered by a written regulation, manual, directive, instruction, or policy letter of some sort. In the military, knowledge is power. We must remember that its people who conduct and perform the Air Forces mission and it is important to understand how personnel fit into the USAF's organization. Enlisted members are the "backbone" of the Air Force. They perform the primary jobs that need to be done. Enlisted members are "specialists", trained to perform specific specialties in the military. As enlisted personnel progress up the ranks, they assume more responsibility, and provide direct supervision to their subordinates. Commissioned officers primary function is to provide overall management and leadership in their area of responsibility. Commissioned officers do not specialize as much (with certain exceptions such as pilots, doctors, nurses, and lawyers). Commission officers are commissioned through specific commissioning programs, such as one of the military academies. There are ten commissioned officer grades and commissioned officers outrank all enlisted personnel. In the process of making decisions, there are at least two acceptable processes; (1) rational, and (2) political. By definition and by -ract5ce the made a concerted effort to base its decision-making on the rational process, which rests heavily on a analytic process. An analytic process can be defined as one which there are agreed upon methods for generating alternative solutions to problems, and for assigning values to the 2 benefits and costs expected from each of the alternatives. The USAF has computational methods readily available for calculating benefits and costs ratios once these values are assigned. The critical point here being, given the structure, size, importance and power influence, there is a strategic need to continually be in sync with the DOD, the President, Congress, and fellow military personnel. The essence of the rational process is the belief that, "all good persons, given the same information, will come to the same conclusion". USAF History According to the National Security Act of 1947 which created the Air Force, "In general the United States Air Force shall include aviation forces both combat and service not otherwise assigned. It shall be organized, trained, and equipped primarily for prompt and sustained offensive and defensive operations. The Air Force shall be responsible for the preparation of the air forces necessary for the effective prosecution of war except as otherwise assigned and, in accordance with integrated joint mobilization plans, for the expansion of the peace time components of the Air Force to meet the needs of war"( Act of 1947) The Air Force came into being after more than 30 years of debate on how best to incorporate an airpower presence into the nations demanding national defense program. The Air force approached the defense scene with the awesome ability to make a formidable presence known, seen,and felt across the globe, and provided the US with an immediate presence in the geopolitical arena. Melinger makes a salient point on the impact of the Air Force into the theatre of war, he says, "the USAF history is more than an account of a series of wars and operations, it reflected a fundamental transformation in 3 the U.S. conception of fighting wars"(Melinger 1997). Today The stated mission of the Air Force, "is to deliversovereign options for the defense of the United States of America and its global interest to fly and fight in the air, space and cyberspace"(Goldberg) USAF GRADE STRUCTURES Officer Grade Structure General of the Air Force ( Special General), General (General 0-1), Lieutenant General (General 0-9), Major General (General 0-8), Brigadier General (General 0-7), Colonel (Colonel 0-6), Lieutenant Colonel (Colonel 0-5), Major (Major 0-7) Captain (Captain 0-3), First Lieutenant (Lieutenant 0-2), Second Lieutenant (Lieutenant 0-1). Non Commissioned Officers Grade Structure Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (Chief E-9), Command Chief Master Sergeant (Chief E-9), Chief Master Sergeant as a first sergeant (Chief E-9), Chief Master Sergeant (Chief E-9), Senior Master Sergeant as a first Sergeant (Sergeat E-8), Senior Master Sergeant (Sergeant E-8), Master Sergeant as a first Sergeant (Sergeant E-8), Master Sergeant as a first Sergeant (Sergeant E-7), Master Sergeant (Sergeant E-7), Technical Sergeant (Sergeant E-6), Staff Sergeant (Sergeant E-5). Enlisted Grade Structure of the USAF Senior Airman (Airman E-4), Airman first class (Airman E-3), Airman (Airman E- 2) Airman Basic (Airman E-1): Source: USAF History support office. The Meaning of Rank in the USAF (Joke) General-"eaps tall buildings in a single bound, is more powerful than a locomotive, is faster than a speeding bullet. Walks on water and typhoons, gives policy to 4 God"(About.com) Colonel- "eaps short buildings with a single bound, is more powerful than a switch engine, is just as fast as a speeding bullet, walks on water if sea is calm, talks to God"(Ibid) Lt. Colonel- "Leaps short buildings with a running start and favorable winds, almost as powerful as a switch engine, is faster than a speeding BB, walks on water in indoor swimming pool, talks to God if a DA-4187 request form is approved"(Ibid) Major-"arely clears Quonset hut, loses tug of was with switch engine, can fire a speeding bullet, swims well, is occasionally addressed by God"(Ibid) Captain-"Makes high marks by trying to leap buildings, run over by a locomotive. can sometimes handle a gun without inflicting self injury, dog paddles, talks to animals"(Ibid) !st Lieutenant"Runsinto building, recognizes locomotives two out of three times, is not issued ammunition, can stay afloat if properly instructed in the Mae-West, talks to walls"(Ibid) 2nd Lieutenant-"Falls over doorsteps when trying to enter buildings, says look at the Choo-Choo, wets himself, plays in mud puddles, mumbles to himself"(Ibid) Chief and Sergeant Major "Lifts buildings and walks under them,kicks locomotives off the tracks, catches speeding bullets in his teeth and eats them, freezes water with just a single glance, HE IS GOD"(Ibid) How do structure and power relationships influence decision-making within your organization' "The challenges faced by strategic leaders in implementing complex and long-range 5 consequential decisions demand that they be sophisticated with respect to issues of leadership, power and influence. The changes that are shaping the nature of work in today's complex organizations require that we develop the political wit, expertise and personal skills to become more flexible, innovative and adaptive. Without political awareness and skill, we face the inevitable prospect of becoming immersed in beauracratic infighting, parochial politics and destructive power struggles, which greatly retard organizational initiative, innovation, morale and performance" (Kotter 1985). As has been pointed out, the USAF has a very orderly structure, which is based on responsible accountability. The high level of accountability fosters trust, which is based on a rational process, which rests heavily on an analytical process. The systematic compilation of data and the careful analysis of information, leaves little room for a variance in the decision making process. There is no question that power can be intoxicating, and egos can be huge stumbling blocks to achieving an objective. However, the Air Force structure, precludes power from adversely affecting decision making In that the USAF strives to employ the rational process versus the political process, the system lends itself admirably to the pursuit of open communication. This is obviously the macro view of the decision-making process, and this writer felt that it was important to make the point clear. Now, as it is in private industry when it comes to individual management style, each individual reserves the supervisory leverage to run their department as best suits their personalities, or their perceived methods on what is the most efficient, and productive format. When we view the decision-making process in this vain, we come across a considerable amount of power influence. The power which accompanies rank, 6 enables those with the grade and time, to make decisions which may from time to time, run counter to personal ideas of what could and should be done, but never counter to the regulations.On a routine, day to day basis, power is obvious, but as stated previously, knowledge is paramount. Perhaps it is a good thing in the Air Force setting that as a rule, power is synanamous with knowledge. Consequently, albeit one must always scrutinize a decision (as to its logic and relevance), rarely does one challenge or question the source. Again on a macro-management level coalitions must continually be formed and if power/politics is an inherent part of the coalitions existence, then the key element for achieving results up and down the chain of command would be breached, which would precipitate an environment of untrustworthiness. The hallmarks of the Air Force structure/ chain of command is embued in trust, loyalty and transperancy. This leads to important postulates about rational communication within the system. For a rationalist, systems are information-consuming engines. Particularly in a strategic organization such as the USAF, and the unfettered flow of information among and between the chains of command are crucial to the successful mission of the Air Force, and the country as a whole. What physical, verbal, behavioral manifestation symbols affect the culture of your organization' "Integrity first,service before self, and excellence in all we do"(USAF) There are numerous military customs and courtesies and many of them come from age old practices and have evolved with some historical importance. Many of these age old customs and courtesies have been incorporated into the USAF heritage and are now an important part of the USAF daily routines. They are more than just the run of the mill 7 routine, or merely ceremonial, they assist in making all of us appreciate the organization which we are a member of, and further solidify our common bond towards our mission, within the military corps. The many customs and courtesys which we adhere are just some of the many aspects of our existence which makes military service special. Along with fostering discipline, they also promote loyalty and self worth.They are so special until they must always be followed. Yes, in that they are tradition, one can be adversely affected if found not conforming to an unwritten law.Some examples are: A drum roll (ruffle) and a trumpet fanfare (flourish) is a tune which is played to honor a special individual, i.e., the President, and other dignitaries national and foreign. The protocol is when the drum roll commences, one is to stand and face the individual being honored. You must remain standing until the final note of the music has been played. Whenever the Air Force song is played, one must stand and participate. Tradition dictates that only the first verse of the Air Force song is either played or sung.Whenever the event is an official ceremony, the program for the event will contain a printed version of the first verse of the Air Force song. Each day a ceremony known as retreat is conducted on base. The alert for the commencement of the ceremony is a bugle call. It is sounded and then followed by either the National Anthem or To The Colors. Whenever a person is outside at the ceremonies commencement, it is mandatory that they discontinue any other activity which they are engaged, and face the flag (if visible) or listen to the music. The protocol requires individuals to stand still and remove one's hat. When the National Anthem begins to play, you are to place your right hand over your heart. If by chance, one is operating a vehicle, protocol demands that you stop the vehicle and remain at attention; if there are passengers in the vehicle, they are also required to remain 8 attentive. Ever wonder why the US flag is folded in a triangular shape' The folding of the flag represents yet another tradition of early American patriots who wore triangular corner hats. Even the lowering of the flag to half staff represents and old tradition, one which was the practice of naval vessels, whenever a crew member died, the ship would lower its mass, to indicate that things were not "ship-shape". When we say in the military that we are extending a courtesy to someone, it means that the position of honor is always to the right. Core Values All members of the USAF family must give just and do consideration to the core values.This applies to officers, enlisted, civilian, active reserve, and retired, senior, junior and middle management, civil servants; ununiformed personnel and contractors. While internalizing the core values, one must remember that they are much more than minimum USAF standards. They are in fact the path which we stride down to accomplish our mission. They serve as a unifying inspiration which steer everyone to always do their very best. They are the bonding element on which we all rely, and they are the strong, enduring glue which establishes commonality of purpose, and ties us to all of the former great patriots and dutiful contributors of past generations. How does your organization collect manage and control information' "There are a variety of ways to task the intelligence system to gain needed information for operational use. A myriad of collectors, ranging from human to airborne collectors that are controlled manually or are software driven, are tasked to fulfill 9 intelligence requirements. It is the responsibility of intelligence support personnel at the unit level to accurately determine the direction and flow of intelligence information. Intelligence needs, referred to as requirements. Are restricted, based on time sensitivity. The objective of the CM process is to satisfy the commanders essential elements of information (EEIs). These are necessary to accomplish the given mission and assigned operational tasks. The collection manager is a central figure of the process, serving to coordinate and facilitate the activities of two cyclic, mutually supporting functions the translation and development of taskings, referred to as collections requirements management (CRM), and the employment of intelligence collection resources, known as collection operations management. The two functions are structured to support the operations commanders mission statement in a responsive manner"(USAF Intel) Read More