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Mission excellence in all we do

  • Published
  • By Col. Mike Bauer
  • 314th Operations Group commander
Integrity, Service Before Self and Excellence are the Air Force core values we live by and cherish.

For many units to include our own, the third core value has often translated into a goal of mission excellence. For combat airlifters, mission excellence is often thought of as delivering personnel and supplies anywhere, anytime, every time. This is certainly the end product and a proud heritage, but true mission excellence starts on the ground with a focus on taking care of our Airman and the programs that establish the foundation for success in the air.

Mission excellence certainly includes a focus on evaluations and decorations, taking care of Airmen and recognizing those individuals making your unit better. Just as we focus on delivering cargo on target and on time every time in the air. We need to put the same focus into delivering evaluations and decorations on target and on time every time. This allows the unit to focusĀ its energy on recognizing those individuals doing great work and not spending time explaining why their reports were late. If you are talking about the latter, there is little chance of convincing anyone you're achieving mission excellence.

Mission excellence requires a focus on individual improvement. We must stress the importance of professional standards, education and training, civilian education, physical fitness and community and base participation. These actions lead to improved professional, personal and leadership opportunities. Individual improvements lead to organization improvements and success. Organizational success and a reputation of taking care of people draws high caliber individuals to the unit and enables the unit to sustain success. Mission excellence is about personal improvement and an environment of success.

Mission excellence requires a focus on the ground programs that support effective mission execution: Go-No-Go processes and flying and training data entry; training records and folder reviews; publications and page counts; ground training and computer-based training are just a few of the programs and requirements that will never make the history books. Yet, these programs are critical to a unit's ability to ensure its personnel are properly trained, equipped and qualified to execute the mission. Mission excellence requires a strong foundation--that foundation is the functional programs that ensure we are ready to fly.

Mission excellence is focusing on those programs that contribute to mission effectiveness and eliminating those that do not. There are some programs that people argue do not contribute to the unit's mission or organizational success and should be ignored--I disagree. For these programs, it's even more important to focus on proper execution and documentation. It's only through proper execution and documentation that we can build and win an argument to change or eliminate a program or requirement. Mission excellence is arguing with facts not emotion.

"Anywhere, Anytime, Every Time" is a standard we train to every day. I challenge you to bring that same energy to the ground requirements that build the foundation for mission success. True mission excellence requires focus in all mission areas. Remember our third core value is not simply "Excellence" it is "Excellence in All We Do."