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Tampa Bay Times | Thursday, October 12, 2017 | 1THU NEWS/FEATURES ;HRLJVTTHUKVM`V\YOLHS[O4PSLZ[VULJOHUNLZJVTPUN[V;90*(9, 4PSP[HY`/LHS[O:`Z[LT*VTT\UPJH[PVUZ6MMPJL referral through either the military hospital or clinic or at a civilian urgent care center in areas FALLS CHURCH, Va. — TRICARE benefi- the military health facility is not an option. ciaries will soon have increased access to health TRICARE is changing. Here is what benefi- care through key changes that are set to take ciaries need to know: Some of the key changes place in January 2018. With the benefit set that will become effective on January 1, 2018, to undergo some of the biggest improvements will affect region consolidation, TRICARE plans, in more than two decades, beneficiaries will enrollment, and costs. There are currently three be able to take command of their health care TRICARE regions in the United States, includ- through expanded choices. These improvements ing TRICARE North, South, and West. Starting include wider access to network providers, up- in 2018, these regions will become TRICARE dated enrollment to reduce disruptions in care, East and West. They will be administered by *V\Y[LZ`NYHWOPJ and simplified co-payments. Humana Military and Health Net Federal Ser- able plans at www.tricare.mil/changes under The Defense Health Agency recently met a vices. This change will allow for better coordina- the plan finder. key requirement for implementing these chang- tion between the military hospitals and clinics Starting on Jan. 1, all current beneficiaries es, with the publication of a formal document – and the civilian health care providers in each will be automatically transitioned into their re- called an Interim Final Rule – that establishes region. spective plan as long as they are eligible. TRI- the legal “rules of the road” for putting in place Several changes will also occur in coverage CARE Prime enrollees will remain in this plan. changes mandated by Congress. The Interim Fi- plans at the start of the new year. TRICARE TRICARE Standard and Extra beneficiaries will nal Rule is now available for public review and Select will replace TRICARE Standard and be converted to TRICARE Select. Beneficiaries comment. TRICARE Extra. In the U.S., TRICARE Select will be able to choose to enroll in or change cov- “We are working hard to use the opportunity will be a self-managed, preferred provider net- erage plans throughout the year long grace pe- Congress gave us to continue building a health work option. Beneficiaries will not be required riod in 2018. plan that does even better for our beneficiaries, to have a primary care manager and can visit Beginning in fall 2018, enrollment will move the warfighter, and the taxpayers who support any TRICARE-authorized provider for covered to a calendar year open enrollment season like us,” said Vice Adm. Raquel Bono, director of De- services without a referral. Overseas, TRICARE federal employee plans. During this time, active fense Health Agency. Overseas Select will provide access to both net- enrollment will be required to change plans for The goal of this change is to keep beneficia- work and non-network TRICARE authorized the following year. Those who are retiring will ries healthy by providing better health care op- providers for medically necessary covered ser- have to choose their plan and enroll to retain tions. This includes allowing doctors to make the vices. TRICARE Select, both stateside and over- coverage. The open enrollment season begins on decisions on whether beneficiaries need a refer- seas, includes additional preventive care servic- the Monday of the second full week in Novem- ral or specialty care instead of the regional con- es previously only offered to TRICARE Prime ber and run through the Monday of the second tractors. Urgent care will be available without a beneficiaries. Beneficiaries can review all avail- 6HH TRICARE, Page 13

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COMMANDER’S ACTION LINE 4HJ+PSSVU[OL^LI Website: www.macdill.af.mil The Action Line provides two-way communication between the Facebook: www.facebook.com/ 6th Air Mobility Wing commander and the MacDill community. Per- sonnel may submit questions, concerns or comments via email to MacDillAirForceBase [email protected]. Instagram: macdill_afb Twitter: @macdill_afb

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MACDILL THUNDERBOLT Š Thursday, October 12, 2017 Š WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM Š 2 NEWS/FEATURES [O*7;:[VWYVJLZZ[OV\ZHUKZVM]V\JOLYZHM[LY/\YYPJHUL0YTH I`(PYTHUZ[*SHZZ:JV[[>HYULY UI"JS.PCJMJUZ8JOH1VCMJD"GGBJST

As personnel evacuated MacDill Air Force Base to escape Hurricane Ir- ma, 12 Airmen assigned to the 6th Comptroller Squadron elected to stay behind to process advances on travel vouchers for junior enlisted service members who had not received their government travel cards. Between Sept. 8 and 9, nearly 3,000 on-base residents evacuated Mac- Dill AFB due to weather projections that Hurricane Irma would directly impact the Tampa Bay area, which would be the first time since the 1921 Tampa Bay Hurricane. “We were processing more than $140,000 in advances while the winds were picking up,” said 1st Lt. Matthew Duncan, the financial services flight commander assigned to the 6th CPTS. While most MacDill service members made their final preparations prior to Irma making landfall, the 6th CPTS’ work proved to be far from over. “We’ve been working extra-long days and nights while also working 7OV[VI`;OVTHZ.HNUPLY weekends, even before the storm passed through Tampa,” said Duncan. <:(PY-VYJLZ[3[4H[[OL^+\UJHU[OLMPUHUJPHSZLY]PJLZMSPNO[JVT Despite the longer hours and lack of free time, the 6th CPTS’ morale THUKLYHZZPNULK[V[OL[O*VTW[YVSSLY:X\HKYVUIYPLMZ<:*LU[YHS continues to remain strong. *VTTHUKWLYZVUULSH[4HJ+PSS(PY-VYJL)HZL6J[;OLMPUHUJLIYPLM “I think from the outside looking in, a lot of people might think we PUNMVJ\ZLKVUOV^[VJVTWSL[L[YH]LS]V\JOLYZJVTWLUZH[PUN4HJ+PSS 6HH VOUCHERS, Page 15 ZLY]PJLTLTILY»ZMVYJLK[VL]HJ\H[LK\YPUN/\YYPJHUL0YTH

:LJYL[HY`VM(PY-VYJLHKKYLZZLZHPYHUKZWHJLPUUV]H[PVU I`:[HMM:N[9\Z[`-YHUR To that end, the 2018 presidential budget 4FDSFUBSZPGUIF"JS'PSDF1VCMJD"GGBJST0GGJDF proposed a 20 percent increase for space, which Wilson said is the next frontier of global innova- WASHINGTON (AFNS) — Secretary of the tion. The Air Force remains committed to gain- Air Force Heather Wilson spoke about the im- ing and maintaining space superiority across portance of modernization and innovation in the spectrum of conflict in defense of the nation, space during a Center for Strategic and Interna- she added. tional Studies forum in Washington, D.C., Oct. “We need to normalize space from a national 5. security perspective,” said Wilson. “We have to “Our mission is to organize, train and equip have all of our officers who are wearing blue air and space forces,” said Wilson. “We are the uniforms more knowledgeable about space ca- ones, since 1954, who are responsible for every- pabilities and how it connects to the other do- thing from 100 feet below the earth in missile mains.” silos all the way up to the stars…that’s our re- Wilson added in the future, space will no lon- sponsibility and we own it.” ger be a benign environment, soon it will be a The Air Force faces significant challenges in common domain for human endeavor. Accessi- space because America’s adversaries know how bility to space is growing rapidly as launch tech- important space is to the U.S., Wilson said. nology evolves, the cost of launches will drop She added the Air Force is responsible for from thousands of dollars per pound of fuel to providing the world’s first utility, which is the hundreds, the technology will get faster and GPS system. This global system which the U.S. smaller, and more nation-states and individuals military uses is the same system that industry will have greater access to space. relies on. Whether it’s the local ATM or the stock “Our most recent launch out of Cape Canaver- 7OV[VI`>H`UL(*SHYR exchange, the GPS is at the center, Wilson said. al was a Space X rocket that launched, and then :LJYL[HY` VM [OL (PY -VYJL /LH[OLY >PSZVU “A huge part of our economy is dependent on recovered using GPS guidance technology back ZWLHRZ H[ [OL *LU[LY MVY :[YH[LNPJ HUK 0U[LY what’s done in space,” she said. on the pad from which that stage launched,” UH[PVUHS:[\KPLZ>HZOPUN[VU+*6J[>PS The Air Force must deter a conflict in space, said Wilson. “That wasn’t possible 10 years ago, ZVUOPNOSPNO[LK[OLULLK[VPU]LZ[PUV\Y(PY and has an obligation to be prepared to fight but it’s being done by American innovation. It’s TLUYLHKPULZZTVKLYUPaH[PVUHUK[OLM\[\YLVM and win if deterrence fails. an exciting time to be part of this enterprise.” ZWHJLVWLYH[PVUZ

3 Š WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM Š Thursday, October 12, 2017 Š MACDILL THUNDERBOLT WEEK IN PHOTOS

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MACDILL THUNDERBOLT Š Thursday, October 12, 2017 Š WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM Š 4 5 Š WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM Š Thursday, October 12, 2017 Š MACDILL THUNDERBOLT MACDILL THUNDERBOLT Š Thursday, October 12, 2017 Š WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM Š 6 NEWS/FEATURES -YVT[OLIHZL[V[OLMPNO[L]LY`(PYTHUJHUWYV[LJ[[OLWV^LY I`4LSPZZH;PLKLTHU is a critical aspect of all Air Force missions,” said Correll. “Regardless of 4FDSFUBSZPGUIF"JS'PSDFGPS*OTUBMMBUJPOT &OWJSPONFOUBOE&OFSHZ where or what the mission is, we require electricity and fuel to operate. By increasing their energy awareness and understanding, Airmen make energy WASHINGTON (AFNS) — October is Energy Action Month across the a consideration in all they do and, in turn, increase our capabilities.” federal government, and for the Air Force it represents an opportunity to “Fuel consumes 82 percent of the total Air Force energy budget, however remind Airmen of the role energy plays in fulfilling the Air Force’s mission. increasing energy efficiency means more than just cost savings,” said Ro- The Air Force theme this year, “Protect the Power,” calls on Airmen and berto Guerrero, deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for operational the larger Air Force community to practice smarter, more efficient energy energy. “Making energy a consideration in future platforms and looking at and water consumption behaviors to enhance mission assurance. current processes for ways to optimize energy use is the key to bringing “With threats to our power infrastructure increasing — in numbers and greater combat capability, more training, and lower sustainment costs to the severity — enhancing mission assurance through energy assurance is criti- Air Force mission.” cal to readiness; now is the time to address these challenges; every kilowatt- Airman making smarter energy choices and integrating energy efficient hour, every gallon, and every idea counts,” said Richard Hartley, acting as- technologies and fuel optimization measures has a direct positive impact sistant secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Energy. on combat capability. That is why the Air Force is challenging Airmen to “As we look to the future, improving resiliency through optimized demand increase their awareness of the energy and water they use, understand its and assured supply will play a key role in enhancing our combat capabili- impact on the mission, and continuously look for ways to better utilize these ties,” Hartley said. “We need every Airman to play a part, reducing their critical resources. demand for energy and innovating to bring resilient and efficient approaches This means many Airmen taking small steps, such as turning off lights. to the table,” And it means the Air Force making large enterprise-level moves, such as en- The Air Force consumes significant quantities of energy protecting the ergy savings performance contracts that finance multimillion dollar energy nation’s interests. With so many of our missions operated from our bases, saving infrastructure improvements or optimizing fuel use and increasing building resilience, reliability and efficiency into energy operations is vital to training opportunities by adjusting aircraft training routes. No matter the our combat capability. To achieve these objectives, Mark Correll, deputy as- size or complexity of the change, every Airman can take action to “Protect the sistant secretary of the Air Force for environment, safety and infrastructure, Power.” encourages Airmen to participate, both at work and at home. For more information on Energy Action Month, visit the Secretary of the “Energy Action Month is an important reminder to everyone that energy 6HH ENERGY, Page 15

MACDILL THUNDERBOLT Š Thursday, October 12, 2017 Š WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM Š 7 ¸3PRLTHU`VYNHUPaH[PVUZVUIHZLV\Y(PYTLURUVJRP[V\[VM[OLWHYRL]LY`  Lt. Col. Lawrence Smith, 6th LR

[O39:KPZWSH`Z\UTH[JOLKZ\WWVY[K\YPUNO\YYPJ Z[VY`HUKWOV[VZI`(PYTHUZ[*SHZZ(ZOSL`7LYK\L “I would say that between fuels, vehicle operations, and UI"JS.PCJMJUZ8JOH1VCMJD"GGBJST ally increased their output and man hours,” said Thomas S officer. “Aerial port personnel have been working 12-14 hou s the initial shock from Hurricanes Irma and Maria begins to settle, the work of the 6th bility to ensure they are ready and available to download a Logistics Readiness Squadron at MacDill Air Force Base escalates. On top of their day-to-day responsibilities, personnel in A “I am incredibly honored to command an organization that is not only dynamic and volved in resupply missions for the hurricane relief efforts diverse in the way that it is built, but is constantly ready and willing to execute any mission, providing fuel to aircraft, and transferring crews to lodgi anytime,” said Lt. Col. Lawrence Smith, commander of the 6th LRS. “In short, our primary mis- have palletized equipment for the 45th Aeromedical Evac sion is to deliver anything, anytime, anywhere.” amount of food and water supporting the relief efforts. The 6th LRS currently houses Airmen among nine various Air Force Specialty Codes mak- “There are a lot of people in Puerto Rico without food a ing the team at MacDill a unique organization. can to help provide relief to folks,” added Sanders. “We hav “Our squadron is a hybrid of what used to be the transportation squadron and the supply normal jobs to help provide support in prepping cargo for a squadron; add in the logistics plans and aerial port functions and you have the current LRS rienced an increase in our fueling requirements. structure at MacDill AFB,” said Smith. “With an organization this diverse, one of the challenges “Our fuels flight had their busiest day on Oct. 2, when th we face is integrating all of the different AFSCs. of fuel within a 24-hour period in wing history. With an or However, we embrace the challenge and capitalize on that diversity as it enables our dy- of Jet A fuel going into the day, the requirement quickly gr namic, hard-charging ethos. Like many organizations on base, our Airmen knock it out of the According to Sanders, the Fuels Management Flight ha park every single day.” and has completed 96 fueling missions in less than a mont It is no surprise that personnel throughout the 6th LRS have experienced quite an increase “Every aircraft that touches down at MacDill AFB is s in their workload to ensure the wing as a whole, remains mission ready, especially during the some way or another,” concluded Smith. “The capacity and hurricane relief efforts. enormous, and the LRS family is proud to be a part of such

8 Š WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM Š Thursday, October 12, 2017 Š MACDILL THUNDERBOLT `ZPUNSLKH`¹ RS commander <: (PY -VYJL (PYTLU ^P[O [OL [O 3VNPZ[PJZ9LHKPULZZ:X\HKYVU39: JVTWSL[LHWHSSL[HZZLTIS`MVY/\Y YPJHUL4HYPHYLSPLMLMMVY[ZH[4HJ+PSS (PY-VYJL)HZL6J[0UHKKP[PVU[V ^VYRPUN [V^HYK [OLZL YLSPLM LMMVY[Z [OL[O39:PZHSZVVWLYH[PUNHZUVY THSHUKWYV]PKPUNZ\WWVY[[OYV\NOV\[ HSSVM4HJ+PSS

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MACDILL THUNDERBOLT Š Thursday, October 12, 2017 Š WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM Š 9 AMC NEWS 0UUV]H[PVUZH]LZ(4* TPSSPVUHUU\HSS`

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JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. (AFNS) — The 437th Airlift Wing began modifying the C-17 Globemaster III aircraft with new mounts for the Electronic Flight Bag Sept. 25. The new mounts will increase flight safety in C- 17s and are estimated to save Air Mobility Command $2 million in repairs annually. The EFB allows the aircrew to digitally view aviation charts and publications. Previously, these documents were published on paper. EFBs augmented the paper publica- tions until AMC eliminated the requirement to carry paper publications and allowed the sole use of EFBs for in-flight reference. “The EFBs were being fastened to the side-view windows using suction cup mounts as a supplement to the original 6HH INNOVATION, Page 12

10 Š WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM Š Thursday, October 12, 2017 Š MACDILL THUNDERBOLT MACDILL THUNDERBOLT Š Thursday, October 12, 2017 Š WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM Š 11 0556=(;065 -YVT7HNL mount which was designed to hold the paper publications,” said Lt. Col. intendent, aided in the demonstration and helped get the modification ap- Thomas Clark, 437th Operations Group deputy chief of standards and proved by AMC. evaluations. “Since the paper version is no longer required, a permanent “This solution requires no modifications, such as drilling or welding, to EFB mounting solution was in order. the aircraft as it uses the same two bolts that secured the paper chart hold- “While requests to modify the plane with a permanent EFB mount had er, and is a slightly modified off-the-shelf mount in the same location,” said been submitted to the System Program Office years ago when the EFB was Preuss. “No additional funding was required for implementation because initially approved, they didn’t gain traction until paper publications were the wing already had the required equipment on hand.” no longer required and a costly maintenance trend with safety of flight im- The 437th AW took this idea from prototype to implementation in six plications was identified.” months. Approval for most aircraft modifications takes longer to be ap- Lt. Col. Mike Coppola, 437th Maintenance Squadron commander, noted proved, but a demonstration for Gen. Carlton D. Everhart II, AMC com- numerous Intercommunication Control Set panels were being damaged on mander, quickened the process. a weekly basis. The suction cup mounts were popping off windows and hit- “Travis Air Force Base (California) also implemented a prototype of our ting panels causing a maintenance backlog of repairs for the aircraft. ICS design and demonstrated it for the AMC commander during a visit to their panels are used to communicate to other members on board other aircraft installation,” said Preuss. “After General Everhart saw the EFB mount, and air traffic control towers. The damage to the panels required costly re- he pushed for the modification to be implemented on all C-17 aircraft as- pairs each year for AMC. signed to AMC.” Upon being notified of the damage occurring to the aircraft, Col. Lou- Over a third of the C-17s at JB Charleston have been modified and the is Hansen, 437th OG commander, brainstormed a fix with his team and rest are scheduled to be finished in the next 90 days. worked with Col. Brian Peters, former 437th Maintenance Group com- “I think this is a great improvement that eliminates safety of flight mander, to execute a trial installation of a concept that Clark proposed. issues and moves us closer to fully embracing a paperless cockpit,” said Master Sgt. Andrew Preuss, 437th MXG maintenance engineering super- Clark. “I look forward to seeing it implemented across the fleet.”

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12 Š WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM Š Thursday, October 12, 2017 Š MACDILL THUNDERBOLT ;90*(9, -YVT7HNL full week in December of each calendar year starting in 2018. All beneficiaries should make sure their information is current in DEERS now so they are converted to the cor- rect plan in January. Learn more about enrollment changes. Beneficiaries will shift to a copayment structure from the current cost-share structure also starting on Jan. 1. With fixed costs for specific services, beneficiaries will be able to better predict their health care costs. Updated out-of-pocket costs for 2018 will be avail- able at www.tricare.mil/changes. While the upcoming changes are significant, the goal of the Military Health System is to continuously improve health care for all its beneficiaries. Beneficiaries can prepare for the upcoming changes by visiting the TRICARE Changes page, where they can sign up for email alerts, complete a beneficiary checklist, and see available plans and updated costs for 2018. “This marks a major milestone in our effort,” said Bono. “It highlights the opportunity for our beneficiaries to take command of their health plan, and our responsibility to ensure that these historic changes to TRICARE are a success for beneficiaries and the Department.”

MACDILL THUNDERBOLT Š Thursday, October 12, 2017 Š WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM Š 13 COMMUNITY

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14 Š WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM Š Thursday, October 12, 2017 Š MACDILL THUNDERBOLT =6<*/,9: -YVT7HNL are stressed out or tired,” said Senior Airman Christopher Williams, the be receiving some sort of money back.” special actions team lead assigned to the 6th CPTS. “But in the finance Vaulx added that some of the expenses travel vouchers cover are stan- career field, it is exciting to do something that we get to see an immediate dard TDY entitlements, such as mileage, airfare, hotel costs, parking fees, impact on.” toll fares and even a locality rate for smaller expenses like food and toi- This immediate impact will positively affect MacDill service members letries. and their families, as well as demonstrate that developing and caring for “Right now, we have about 1,500 travel vouchers being processed and Airmen and their families is a top priority. we expect that number to be around 2,000 by the end of the week,” said “When we stay late or come in on weekends, we are all working on one Duncan. thing and we get to see the progress, we see the end goal,” said Williams. Currently, the 6th CPTS cannot confirm when the entitlements will be “I think we have all come together and not noticed how tired we are be- dispersed, but they are actively working to ensure it happens as soon as cause we are focused on the bounties of our work.” possible. To assist with the workload caused by Hurricane Irma, Airman 1st “Every voucher is unique as was everyone’s evacuation situation and Class Bralen Vaulx, a financial services technician assigned to the 43rd combined with the sheer volume of vouchers we have received, members Comptroller Flight at Pope Army Airfield, North Carolina, volunteered to should remain patient for their vouchers to pay out,” said Duncan. perform a temporary duty assignment at MacDill. To receive entitlements, MacDill personnel must attend a finance brief- “So far, I’m enjoying the experience and meeting new people,” said ing and fill out a travel voucher. Those who haven’t, can still attend Mon- Vaulx. “Generally, everyone attending the financial briefings are happy to day, Wednesday or Friday at building 147 starting at 1 p.m. ,5,9.@ -YVT7HNL Air Force for Installations, Environment and Energy’s Energy Action Month XReduced facility energy usage by 10 percent since 2011 website at: http://www.safie.hq.af.mil/Programs/Energy/Action-Month/. XIncreased on-site renewable energy usage by 12 percent from 2015 to 2016 Air Force Energy Facts (through fiscal year 2016): XHave more than 134 megawatts of on-base renewable energy capacity XSpent $5.8 billion last year for electricity, heat, and fuel XReduced total fuel consumption for ground vehicles by 20 percent since • 82 percent for aviation fuel 2008 • 16 percent for installation electricity & heat XImproved aviation energy productivity by 5.7 percent since 2011 • 2 percent for ground vehicle and equipment fuel XReduced aviation fuel consumption by 23 percent since 2011

MACDILL THUNDERBOLT Š Thursday, October 12, 2017 Š WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM Š 15 16 Š WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM Š Thursday, October 12, 2017 Š MACDILL THUNDERBOLT