WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --
The Air Force Materiel Command Engineering Directorate has released its 2024 Engineering Strategic Plan, providing comprehensive guidance for the engineer and technical workforce as they work to assure an undisputed technological edge for the Department of the Air Force.
“AFMC’s 15,000 scientists and engineers are the tip of the spear for delivering integrated capabilities to the warfighter, from research and development to sustainment and disposal. This strategy communicates our engineering priorities to the entire workforce and synchronizes the team as they work towards common goals and objectives,” said Robert B. Fookes Jr., director, AFMC Engineering and Technical Management.
The Engineering Strategy, aligned directly with the AFMC Strategic Plan priorities, identifies three lines of effort nested under cross-cutting attributes of creativity, mentorship and synergy. The plan recognizes a need to change current business practices to overcome bureaucracy impacting technological progress, and it provides specific guidance for workforce action.
“We cannot continue to perform our engineering and technical business as usual,” Fookes said. “Our capability development pipelines are being outpaced by China, and our ability to effectively sustain fielded capabilities has decreased in recent decades. We must take a hard look at our current technical development processes to root out inefficiencies and be willing to take greater risks in order to regain our capability development advantages.”
The plan’s strategic lines of effort are:
- LOE 1: Robust Systems and Lifecycle Technical Guidance – Reform technical processes and policies to streamline the delivery and sustainment of cutting-edge, war-fighting capabilities.
- LOE 2: Technical Talent Development – Implement career, manpower and management processes to maintain and grow AFMC technical workforce.
- LOE 3: Digital Acceleration and Transformation – Ensure official processes employ digital methods across the mission set.
The strategy also calls for increased AFMC command and center integration across the technical life cycle, with a strong emphasis on digital materiel management, targeted professional development, and strategic partnerships with academia and industry to deliver capabilities at relevant speeds. It also directs the AFMC workforce to lead digital transformation and materiel management solutions for the enterprise.
The full AFMC Engineering Strategy is available at 2024 AFMC/EN Strategic Plan.