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2009 Managing the Human Weapon System: A Vision for an Air Force Human-Performance Doctrine

Tvaryanas, A.P.

Tvaryanas, A.P., Brown, L., and Miller, N.L. "Managing the Human Weapon System: A Vision for an Air Force Human-Performance Doctrine", Air & Space Power Journal, pp. 34-41, Summer 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10945/36508

Downloaded from NPS Archive: Calhoun In air combat, “the merge” occurs when opposing aircraft meet and pass each other. Then they usually “mix it up.” In a similar spirit, Air and Space Power Journal’s “Merge” articles present contending ideas. Readers are free to join the intellectual battlespace. Please send comments to [email protected] or [email protected]. Managing the Human Weapon System A Vision for an Air Force Human-Performance Doctrine

LT COL ANTHONY P. TVARYANAS, USAF, MC, SFS COL LEX BROWN, USAF, MC, SFS NITA L. MILLER, PHD*

The basic planning, development, organization and training of the Air Force must be well rounded, covering every modern means of waging air war. . . . The Air Force doctrines likewise must be !exible at all times and entirely uninhibited by tradition. —Gen Henry H. “Hap” Arnold

N A RECENT paper on America’s Air special operations forces’ declaration that Force, Gen T. Michael Moseley asserted “humans are more important than hardware” that we are at a strategic crossroads as a in asymmetric warfare.2 Consistent with this consequence of global dynamics and view, in January 2004, the deputy secretary of Ishifts in the character of future warfare; he defense directed the Joint Staff to “develop also noted that “today’s con!uence of global the next generation of . . . programs designed trends already foreshadows signi"cant chal- to optimize human performance and maxi- lenges to our organization, systems, concepts, mize "ghting strength.”3 In response, US Joint and doctrine. We are at an historic turning Forces Command began a transformation of point demanding an equally comprehensive force health protection (FHP) by addressing revolution.” Furthermore, to revolutionize the human-performance standards, metrics, ca- twenty-"rst-century Air Force, according to pabilities, and gaps via a new Joint Human General Moseley, we must start with our Air- Performance Enhancement Joint Capabilities men since “any organizational renaissance be- Document.4 In 2005 the director of the Of"ce gins with people. We must prepare our Air- of Net Assessment sparked wider interest by men for a future fraught with challenges, publishing Human Performance Optimization and fostering their intellectual curiosity and ability Military Missions, which prompted the Depart- to learn, anticipate and adapt.”1 ment of Defense (DOD)/Health Affairs to An evolving recognition of “the human as sponsor a conference on human-performance the most important weapon system in the optimization in June 2006.5 The conference Global War on Terrorism” is evident in the report advocated such optimization at all DOD

*Lieutenant Colonel Tvaryanas is a PhD candidate at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California. Colonel Brown is director, Human Performance Integration, 711th Human Performance Wing, Brooks City-Base, Texas. Dr. Miller teaches human systems integration and human factors engineering at the Naval Postgraduate School.

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levels, but as yet, no overarching implementa- and physical well-being of Service members tion strategy has appeared.6 across the range of military operations,” char- In the Air Force, human-performance pro- acterizes every service member as a human grams are generally more product oriented weapon system requiring total life-cycle support than human-centric, and relevant strategy and and maintenance.11 It speci"cally describes this doctrine are limited to health services.7 As support in terms of three interrelated pillars: General Moseley reminds us, “History is re- “healthy and "t force,” “prevention and pro- plete with examples of militaries that failed tection,” and “medical and rehabilitative care.”12 due to their inability to transform organiza- With this framework in mind, FHP catalyzed tions and culture, adopt new operational con- the genesis of our model for human perfor- 8 cepts, or leverage breakthrough technologies.” mance as providing capabilities of human The Air Force cannot leverage breakthroughs weapon systems to the joint force commander. in human performance unless it is organiza- We departed from the health focus of FHP tionally and culturally ready. Similarly, the and embraced a large scope of application by 2008 Air Force Medical Service (AFMS) Capa- accepting two transformational tenets. The "rst bilities Review and Risk Assessment concluded involves managing Airmen consistent with other that we must make the most of human capital military weapon systems. This necessitates the in terms of recruitment, selection, training, op- creation of capability-based requirements with erational performance, cross training, reten- associated performance thresholds and objec- tion, and postretirement health and well-being.9 tives derived directly from needs identi"ed by The assessment recommended a coordinated the combatant commander to drive Airman program to operationalize human performance 13 for all Airmen by developing an overarching acquisition and sustainment programs. These human-performance doctrine, organizationally programs should be managed by a program rede"ning human performance as a line re- executive of"cer (with associated program man- sponsibility with health-services input, and de- agers using integrated process and product veloping ethical and legal frameworks for Air development) who provides a single organiza- Force human performance. tional focus for the total life-cycle manage- In rising to Defense Secretary Robert Gates’s ment of Airmen and remains accountable for 14 challenge to “think out of the box” in continu- life-cycle costs, schedule, and performance. ous pursuit of better ways to support the joint The second tenet requires health-service force, we believe it is high time to address the support to focus on human performance in addi- shortfall in Air Force human-performance tion to health care as the primary means of support- doctrine.10 We propose a holistic doctrine that ing the joint force commander. Although this may incorporates a capabilities-based, total life-cycle seem at odds with the historical objectives of approach to managing Airmen—a performance- health-service support, it actually expands based force-projection model that concentrates upon them, once we understand that health is on human performance while continuing to a prerequisite for performance but that the provide health care and casualty prevention presence of health does not guarantee perfor- to joint force commanders. mance.15 Given the prerequisite need for health, addressing performance satis"es the FHP pillars of “healthy and "t force” and “pre- Transforming from Force vention and protection” (which we can equate Health Protection to with primary and secondary preventive medi- cine). In fact, superior performance itself is a Human-Performance Doctrine means of prevention and protection. For ex- Doctrine for FHP, de"ned as “all measures ample, victorious forces historically suffer taken by commanders, leaders, individual Ser- lower casualty rates than defeated forces, and vice members, and the Military Health System improving situational awareness decreases the to promote, improve, or conserve the mental risk of fratricide.

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Managing Airmen’s capabilities through of maintaining target performance levels through- human performance erects a new doctrinal out a career while minimizing total life-cycle costs. It edi"ce with three foundational pillars: perfor- also embraces the FHP pillars of “healthy and mance sustainment, performance optimization, "t force” and “prevention and protection.” and performance enhancement ("g. 1). Since Preventive medicine is a major contributor to no universally accepted human-performance performance sustainment because physical and de"nitions exist, the names chosen for the pil- mental health remains a necessary, but not lars serve as placeholders for major enterprise suf"cient, precursor for performance. Perfor- areas rather than speci"c de"nitions.16 Figure mance sustainment contains most health- 1 also depicts the pillars resting on an organi- service support functions with the exception zational foundation that embodies attributes of of consequence management.19 The objective the university model: dissemination of knowl- calls for sustaining performance in the face of edge, research, and teaching.17 Doctrine, organi- enemy actions, full-spectrum (natural and tech- zations, and weapon systems are interrelated— nological) environmental threats and stressors, history demonstrates that advances in one and advancing age. area without corresponding advances in the If we accept the paradigm of the human others limit the overall effectiveness of weapon weapon system, then the breadth of perfor- systems.18 Thus, the university model repre- mance sustainment "ts comfortably within the sents the organizational change needed to larger framework of the DOD acquisitions life support the human-performance doctrinal vi- cycle ("g. 2), speci"cally including the use of sion for the human weapon system. requirements derived from the Joint Capabili- ties Integration Development System. Apply- Performance Sustainment for Airmen ing the Defense Acquisition Management Framework to Airman acquisitions affects the Performance sustainment covers accession AFMS and Air Force in the following transfor- through separation/retirement with the goal mational ways:20

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• Development of a portfolio of Airman ca- year career during ACD development and pability documents (ACD) derived from preaccession screening, with the aim of the Joint Capabilities Integration Develop- minimizing total life-cycle costs. ment System for groups of related Air Force • Alteration of the AFMS’s preventive specialty codes incorporating physical, health assessments to performance and physiological, psychological, and cognitive health assessments, primarily focusing performance thresholds and objectives.21 on physical, physiological, psychological, • Formulation of a supporting test and and cognitive performance (based on evaluation master plan (TEMP) for each the ACD and TEMP), with continued ACD, which becomes the source docu- emphasis on health maintenance. Ex- ment for conducting preaccession screen- amples of performance monitoring in- ing, gauging developmental progression clude duty-speci"c "tness assessments, during training, and monitoring perfor- exposure-driven mental-health screen- mance over a career.22 ing, and neurocognitive assessments. • Consideration of the time from accession • Deployment of tailored, multidisciplinary to end-of-life instead of a nominal 20- expeditionary-performance support teams

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containing traditional expertise in pre- of a workstation to simplify a work process ventive medicine augmented by expertise (HFE domain), thereby reducing manpower in the physiological, psychological, and and training requirements (manpower and cognitive domains. training domains), yields signi"cant savings over the life cycle of a system. In addition, the Performance sustainment will drive research HSI tool enables program managers to coun- and development of continuous, real-time, ter shortfalls in one domain by augmenting and periodic performance-assessment tools to another to achieve targeted system perfor- support both the ACD and TEMP; mitigation mance. For example, a program forced to ac- strategies of the performance-degrading effects cept shortfalls in cockpit design (HFE do- of advancing age; and physical and psycho- main) could respond by augmenting training logical countermeasures to maintain perfor- (training domain) or selecting more capable mance during warfare or exposure to environ- or experienced aircrew members (personnel mental threats such as climatic extremes, g-forces, domain). Failure to adequately attend to HSI fatigue, weapons effects, prolonged mental results in a degraded weapon system that can stressors, and witnessing or participating in become prohibitively expensive to repair. violent acts. However, the systems-engineering A new, high-level conceptual model of the process,ratherthanthedevelopmentofcounter- HSI process ("g. 3) better explains the essen- measures and personal protective equipment, tial relationships between the HSI domains offers the primary means of mitigating threats and human performance.27 The input domains and stressors.23 (manpower, personnel, training, and HFE) are typical items or services procured by the Performance Optimization for Airmen DOD, which makes their speci"cation as pro- Performance optimization seeks to achieve the cess inputs more congruent with the DOD’s most ef"cient use of limited human resources by capabilities-development process. Additionally, comprehensively integrating Airmen within focusing on the four input domains greatly the Air Force’s sociotechnical systems.24 People simpli"es the challenges of forecasting the im- are the critical elements within systems, so pact of HSI trade-offs through modeling and adopting a human-centric perspective of sys- simulation, a necessary consideration given tems increases total system performance and DOD initiatives for simulation-based acquisi- minimizes total ownership costs.25 Optimiza- tions.28 In contrast, the ESOH, habitability, tion occurs in defense acquisitions, starting and survivability domains represent desired with the speci"cation of system requirements system attributes or behaviors not directly pro- and !owing down through system design, de- curable; rather, they emerge through various velopment, and deployment. It goes well be- combinations of the input domains. These yond human-machine interface design and three domains also collectively describe the involves deliberate planning to ef"ciently leverage FHP pillar of “prevention and protection,” di- the Airman through the process of human systems rectly linking performance optimization to integration (HSI), a process model for obtaining FHP and providing an avenue to address FHP performance. Perhaps more importantly, that through a systems-engineering approach. model de"nes the domains of performance: Performance optimization affects perfor- human factors engineering (HFE); personnel; mance sustainment, during which the bulk of training; manpower; environment, safety, and prevention activities occur. The HFE domain occupational health (ESOH); habitability; drives the human physical, physiological, and and survivability.26 We obtain better system cognitive performance requirements that, in performance with lower ownership cost by ac- turn, must be sustained throughout the life of tively managing the interactions and trade- a system. System requirements speci"ed for offs between domains rather than simply opti- the ESOH, habitability, and survivability do- mizing individual domains. As an illustration, mains in!uence the likelihood of future haz- employing intuitive automation in the design ardous exposures that will require prevention

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and protection. Failure to compensate for hu- performance science and technology road map man weaknesses or to capitalize on human “by investigating future threats; recognizing strengths when specifying system require- capability gaps and requirements; capturing ments drives research and development of needed system-performance characteristics; countermeasures to prevent injury or illness. and understanding technology gaps, risks, and Therefore, performance optimization maxi- needs.”29 Advances in performance enhance- mizes ef"ciencies and cost savings through ment create new capabilities for Airmen, en- primary and secondary prevention. abling performance sustainment and optimi- zation by expanding the existing performance Performance Enhancement for Airmen envelope and providing solution sets for trade- Performance enhancement occurs chiefly offs in the HSI domain. Thus, the three foun- through science and technology initiatives that dational pillars of program management for enable Airmen to operate beyond established and Airmen in "gure 1 become a set of interrelated sustainable performance thresholds, a spectrum enterprises rather than distinct and indepen- ranging from intrahuman (biotechnology and dent efforts. Integration becomes the key word pharmacology) to extrahuman (hardware and when we organizationally, functionally, and "- software). We developmentally plan a human- nancially address human performance.

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Summary to a performance-based force-projection model. In this new paradigm, the medical service maxi- The world’s security environment is chang- mizes successful force projection through its ing dramatically in many dimensions—political, contribution to the human-performance mis- economic, social, and military. In response, sion while simultaneously standing ready to “the Air Force is transforming into an effects- mitigate performance failures through conse- based, ef"cient provider of human combat quence management. That said, the AFMS capability, which can sustain air, space, and cy- alone cannot implement the vision described berspace superiority for the joint force and here: its scope is driven by the breadth of ap- our Nation.”30 As General Moseley pointed out, plication of human performance, which goes “It is the Airmen who transform hunks of metal, well beyond health services. The Air Force, buckets of bolts, microprocessors, and circuitry therefore, must think strategically about its into the Nation’s war"ghting edge” (emphasis human weapon systems and develop both in original).31 Providing capability for human doctrine and the supporting organizational combat, however, requires related doctrine on structures to operationalize human perfor- weapon systems. This article has proposed a mance for all Airmen. We agree with General vision for a broad human-performance doc- Moseley’s observation that we are at a strategic trine for the Air Force—to sustain, optimize, crossroads, believing that a holistic approach and enhance Airmen. It addresses “how we to human performance is critical to the pos- think” about human performance and lays the ture of the Air Force. We cannot say it any better foundation for future doctrine describing “what than did our former chief of staff: “America’s we think” about human performance. Ulti- Air Force will succeed in the 21st century only by mately, human-performance doctrine should developing and resourcing a coherent strategy provide a capabilities-based, total life-cycle ap- that closes the gap between ends and means. proach to managing Airmen. Within the AFMS, The window of opportunity is shutting fast. it is time to move from a health-based FHP model Time is not on our side.”32 R

Notes 1. Gen T. Michael Moseley, The Nation’s Guardians: 7. Air Force Doctrine Document (AFDD) 2-4.2, Health America’s 21st Century Air Force, CSAF White Paper (Wash- Services, 11 December 2002, 47–52, https://www.doctrine ington, DC: Department of the Air Force, Of"ce of the .af.mil/AFDCPrivateWeb/AFDD_Page_HTML/Doctrine Chief of Staff, 29 December 2007), 3, 6, http://www.af _Docs/afdd2-4-2.pdf. .mil/shared/media/document/AFD-080207-048.pdf. 8. Moseley, Nation’s Guardians, 2. 2. Patricia A. Deuster et al., “Human Performance 9. Headquarters US Air Force, Assistant Surgeon Optimization: An Evolving Charge to the Department of General for Operations, United States Air Force Medical Ser- Defense,” Military Medicine 172, no. 11 (November 2007): vice 2008 Capabilities Review and Risk Assessment: Operation- 11, http://www.siib.org/news/367-SIIB/version/default/ alize Human Performance for All Airmen (Washington, DC: part/AttachmentData/data/HPO%20Mil%20Med Department of the Air Force, 31 March 2008). %202007.pdf. 10. Michael W. Wynne, secretary of the Air Force, and 3. PowerPoint brie"ng, 2007 Military Health Services Gen T. Michael Moseley, chief of staff of the Air Force, to Conference, subject: “Human Performance Optimization (HPO) within DOD,” slide 6, http://www.tricare.mil/ all Airmen, memorandum, 24 April 2008. conferences/2007/Mon/M107.ppt (accessed 27 May 2008). 11. Joint Publication 4-02, Health Service Support, 31 4. Ibid. October 2006, I-3, http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/ 5. A. Russell, B. Bulkley, and C. Grafton, Human Per- new_pubs/jp4_02.pdf; and AFDD 2-4.2, Health Services, 21. formance Optimization and Military Missions: Final Report, 12. Of"ce of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), Force GS-10F-0297K (Washington, DC: Of"ce of Net Assess- Health Protection (Washington, DC: Department of De- ment, May 2005). fense, 6 November 2003), 10, 13; and Department of De- 6. Deuster et al., “Human Performance Optimiza- fense Directive (DODD), 6200.04, Force Health Protection, 9 tion”; and PowerPoint brie"ng, 2007 Military Health Ser- October 2004, 2, http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/ vices Conference. corres/pdf/620004p.pdf.

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13. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction Command. See Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, (CJCSI) 3170.01F, Joint Capabilities Integration and Develop- Force Health Protection and Readiness, to Assistant Sec- ment System, 1 May 2007, A-3, A-8, http://www.dtic.mil/ retary of Defense, Health Affairs, memorandum, 26 De- cjcs_directives/cdata/unlimit/3170_01.pdf. cember 2006. The use of performance optimization in 14. Of"ce of the Undersecretary, Acquisitions and the context of this proposal is not congruent with the for- Technology, DOD Guide to Integrated Process and Product De- mulation of human-performance optimization as used by velopment (Washington, DC: Department of Defense, 5 that command; nor is it intended to suggest that HSI is February 1996), 1-1 through 2-12; and DODD 5000.01, solely a health-services function since it clearly crosscuts The Defense Acquisition System, 12 May 2003, 2, 10, http:// multiple functional capabilities described in the Agile www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/500001p.pdf. Combat Support Concept of Operations (e.g., acquisition, 15. Deuster et al., Human Performance Optimization, 3, 5. civil engineer, logistics readiness, manpower, personnel, 16. Many organizations have become interested in safety, science and technology, training, test and evalua- pushing the limits of human performance, and they have tion, etc.). We use the term performance optimization simply developed terminology corresponding to their interests and because it best describes the proposed enterprise area. funding (e.g., AFMS and Joint Forces Command—human- 25. DODI 5000.2, Operation of the Defense Acquisition performance enhancement; Of"ce of Net Assessment and System, 43. DOD Health Affairs—human-performance optimization; 26. Ibid., 43–45; and MIL-HDBK-46855A, Department Defense Threat Reduction Agency—human-performance of Defense Handbook: Human Engineering Program Process and modi"cation). This multiple, overlapping terminology Procedures, 17 May 1999, 19–20, http://hfetag.dtic.mil/ reinforces stovepipes and prevents effective unity of ef- docs-hfs/mil-hdbk-46855a.pdf. fort, potentially harming the larger Air Force and DOD 27. Nita L. Miller and Lawrence G. Shattuck, “Re- mission. V. Martindale, to the author, personal communi- thinking HSI: An Applied Approach,” draft, 2007. cation regarding “Point Paper on Human Performance 28. Since the key word in human systems integration is Terminology for AFMS,” 25 July 2007. integration, any modeling and simulation effort needs to 17. Jaroslav Pelikan, The Idea of the University: A Reex- capture domain interactions in order to accurately pre- amination (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1992), dict the impact of domain trade-offs on total system per- 32–43, 58–62, 78–98. 18. I. B. Holley Jr., Ideas and Weapons (New Haven, CT: formance and ownership costs. For example, assuming we Yale University Press, 1953), 175–78. could model performance by using a log-linear model, 19. Consequence management is de"ned as those in- capturing domain-interaction effects requires a full or dividual and organizational activities directed at halting saturated model. When we work with all seven human- the progress of disease or limiting the damage caused by systems integration domains, the resulting model would injury and reducing the long-term social disability pro- have 127 terms—a signi"cant computational challenge. duced by any residual impairment. However, by considering only the four input domains, we 20. Department of Defense Instruction (DODI) 5000.2, reduce the model to a more manageable 15 terms. Operation of the Defense Acquisition System, 12 May 2003, 2, 29. Gen Bruce Carlson and Maj Stephen Chambal, http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/ “Developmental Planning: The Key to Future War-Fighter 500002p.pdf. Capabilities,” Air and Space Power Journal 21, no. 1 (Spring 21. CJCSI 3170.01F, Joint Capabilities Integration and 2008): 5, http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/ Development System, A-8. apj/apj08/spr08/spr08.pdf. 22. DODI 5000.2, Operation of the Defense Acquisition 30. Air Force Roadmap: 2006–2025 (Washington, DC: System, 35. Department of the Air Force, June 2006), 19, http://www 23. Beverly S. Cohen, “Industrial Hygiene Measure- .af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-060713-002.pdf. ment and Control,” in Environmental and Occupational 31. T. Michael Moseley, “America’s Air Force: The Medicine, ed. William N. Rom (Philadelphia: Lippincott- Nation’s Guardian,” Joint Force Quarterly 49 (2d quarter Raven, 1998), 1753–55. 2008): 11, http://www.ndu.edu/inss/Press/jfq_pages/ 24. The term human-performance optimization has been editions/i49/8.pdf. discussed as a focus area for the Joint Medical Research 32. Ibid., 13.

01-Merge-Tvaryanas et al.indd 41 4/28/09 1:20:54 PM The Air Force Commander The Power of Interaction and Vision

COL WILLIAM MOTT, USAF*

OW DO YOU measure command direction and observe the !rsthand effects, but success? Simply by the next job you also react to the directions of my commander. are awarded? Or by combat victory, plain and simple? If you care about Hthese questions, this article has something for Command Climate you. The target audience is US Air Force com- Command is about impact! Coach Tom manders, but I suspect that any leader can im- Landry of the Dallas Cowboys once said, prove by paying careful attention to the sub- “Leadership is getting someone to do what jects of interaction and vision. they don’t want to do, to achieve what they Many individuals measure command suc- want to achieve.” Combat commanders have cess by a combination of mission and people. been inspiring followers ever since Alexander The question is, “How do you successfully ful- !ll the mission and maximize your people’s the Great led the charge that routed the Per- potential?” Answer that, and you probably sians at the river Gaugamela. It is what today’s have the essence of command! Command is commanders need to do. The question is, “the legal authority to direct and order subor- “How can Air Force commanders make a dif- dinates to perform duties or accomplish ac- ference from the moment they enter their tions to attain military objectives.”1 One way of units until they head home?” Everything that measuring commanders’ success involves con- occurs affects the command climate, which, sidering their command climate—the envi- though perhaps more of a joint term than an ronment in which they exercise their author- Air Force one, means “a state or condition ex- ity and guide their people to carry out the isting from shared feelings and perceptions mission. This article addresses the tools, means, among soldiers about their unit, about their and feel that a commander uses to create a leaders, and about their unit’s programs and successful environment. policies. This condition is created by the com- I have experience as commander of an F-22 mander and his chain of command from the operations group. Before you decide, “Well, commander’s vision and leadership style, and I’m not one of those!” let me simply say that it in"uenced and perpetuated by their commu- puts me in a unique position of having both nication and their leadership.”2 subordinate commanders and an immediate A positive command climate blends the im- superior in close proximity to my command. portance of people and mission into an orga- This position as a middleman allows some in- nizational climate that breeds success. Com- sight into command because I not only give manders can be either the moat that prevents

*Commander of the 325th Operations Group, Tyndall AFB, Florida, the author has commanded at the group and squadron levels. An F-22 instructor pilot, he has over 3,000 hours in the F-15C, with assignments to Bitburg AB, Germany; Langley AFB, Virginia; Nellis AFB, Nevada; Eglin AFB, Florida; and Tyndall AFB. He has served at Headquarters Air Education and Training Command and Headquarters North American Aerospace Defense Command. Colonel Mott is a combat veteran of Operations Desert Storm and Southern Watch.

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their units from attaining the goal or the some key guidelines do exist for the different bridge that enables them to reach it. Whether types that a commander might face. they excel or just plod along, the command- Rule one: every interaction with people has er’s leadership will make a difference, either an effect on the command climate. Whether it for good or bad. is with your superior, subordinates, or family How do you shape a favorable command and friends, it all makes a difference. After climate? How do you create a unit that Airmen even a small interaction, someone walks away fondly recall, saying, “That was a great squad- with an opinion of you and your command. ron,” or “That was a golden time at Base X,” or Consider the commander’s personal staff. “The ORI [operational readiness inspection] How the commander walks into the of!ce and rated us outstanding because. . . .”? You do it starts the day is key. Like it or not, the com- through interaction with subordinates and su- mander’s demeanor will answer questions periors and through a well-communicated com- they all have, such as “Will it be a good day or mand vision. Finally, preparation for an ORI a bad day?” and “What kind of mood is the will test these command skills. boss in?” The way the commander starts the day with his immediate staff will shape how they deal with the rest of the command. You Command Interaction can’t afford to have a quiet morning or bad day—you simply must start with enthusiasm, Commanders shape their units. Their mere courtesy, and excitement. presence affects mission accomplishment and How often does the average Airman inter- Airmen’s perceptions of the unit. The means act with his or her commander? I would say and tools that the commander uses to interact that time with the commander is less available with his or her command are critical. than most of us would like to admit. In fact, Unfortunately, human interactions can’t be some of your subordinates’ only contact with boiled down to cookbook solutions or check- the commander will occur through the staff. lists of things to do or say. The nature of com- How many phone calls do the executive of!cer mand interaction is dynamic, and what applies and secretary !eld each day that never reach in one situation may not apply in another. For the commander’s of!ce? A great many. The example, one of my subordinates asked me staff represents you and may “impact” more of for an appointment. I determined that the the command than the commander. How the meeting would certainly be a “routine” discus- commander interacts with his staff has a cas- sion about assignments since the of!cer was cading effect throughout the entire command. scheduled for reassignment, so the best means What about your interactions with subordi- to get ready called for reviewing his personnel nate commanders and leaders? Just as your records. When the of!cer sat down, I started staff deals with your Airmen, so do your subor- talking about potential training and assign- dinate commanders touch everyone under their ments. Suddenly, I learned that the real rea- command. Commanders interact with subor- son for the meeting was the of!cer’s personal dinate commanders via writing or by commu- situation and how the assignment might affect nicating one on one or in a group. Within his family—not exactly what the “checklist” these engagements a commander makes his said about a counseling session. or her in"uence felt within the unit. That is the point about using a checklist or Letters—now e-mail—offer an easy way to an academic approach to interactions within communicate. You state your case, hit “send,” the command. Personnel issues are not easily and move on to something else. There is no divisible into subject areas or readily handled need to converse, explain, debate, or align with a checklist. There is no checklist for each your schedules. Personal digital assistants (PDA) meeting because you never know where that and e-mail make access nearly instantaneous. encounter is going. Yet, even though you can’t Written communication to subordinates has a have a checklist for every type of meeting, great number of advantages, and, clearly, a

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modern commander must use e-mail to exer- get to see the “ground truth” of the facilities cise command. Those who say that “e-mail and people under your command. leadership is no leadership” must come from What should you say during one-on-one a different generation! Nevertheless, you must conversations with subordinate leaders? Again, be careful when using written communica- there is no checklist to use. Commanders have tion, especially instant communication. How an agenda, and subordinates have theirs. I sug- many e-mail addicts do you know—people gest that the more the subordinate talks, the with cell phones attached to their belts and set more the commander can support him or her. to vibrate for every message received? The ad- Think of it as bump steering, a term that de- dictive and impersonal nature of e-mail war- scribes how a pilot can adjust an aircraft’s auto- rants special care when used by a leader. pilot while keeping it engaged: small control- Immediate written communication carries stick inputs that “bump” the aircraft to the hidden dangers. Certainly, the risk of being correct heading and altitude. Similarly, subor- misunderstood is high unless you are a careful dinate commanders need to remain engaged writer. Do you have a humorous personality? and receive only small guidance from the senior. Someone may simply interpret your e-mail You should spend less time talking and more humor as sarcasm or worse. What about that time listening when interfacing one on one. instant access to your subordinates or com- The more common method of communi- manders? What message do you convey when cating with subordinate commanders occurs the date and time tag on your e-mail says Sat- via meetings. Most units have a leaders’ meet- urday at 0200? Do you expect an immediate ing at least once a week, but is it a pleasure or response? Does it send an implied message a pain? Is it productive or sti"ing? As expected, the way the commander conducts the meeting about your priorities at home? Maybe not, but determines the environment that, in turn, will your recipient can infer something about your affect the unit. Does communication take place leadership—perhaps a message that you do in one direction? Does the commander allow not want to convey. dissension? Does the conversation delve too Pres. Abraham Lincoln supposedly wrote closely into the subordinate commander’s letters to his generals that he never sent. He area of responsibility? The commander must obviously put some thought into his directions ensure that the meeting is productive, enjoy- yet found it better not to send them. Perhaps able, and marked by open communication a similar lesson applies to e-mail communica- and clear decisions. Ultimately, are the com- tions: some thought needs to go into the craft- mander’s meetings “councils of war” in which ing of messages, and perhaps more than a few democracy reigns or a means of gathering should not go forward! data, listening to opinions, and making deci- Commanders can also communicate with sions? I prefer the latter style. subordinate commanders one on one, a style Here are two insights that speak to the that offers the best chance for interaction. I power of meetings. In one case, I was chairing consider the time I get with the wing com- a meeting with subordinate commanders. Jok- mander precious. Any small conversation with ingly, one of them said, “Sir, I’ve been elected him answers questions that save me from send- to talk to you on a certain issue.” It seemed ing e-mails, and I hear what is important to humorous, but it raised the question of whether him. Face-to-face time with the boss is invalu- I was approachable or too autocratic. If subor- able. And so it is with your subordinate com- dinate leaders are not comfortable voicing dis- manders. That communication must occur sent, then they are not likely to talk openly frequently, outside your of!ce. You must move about dif!cult issues. And that can mean that around so that your Airmen can see you talk- their vision may not cover the commander’s ing to subordinate commanders and supervi- blind spot. sors in their work areas. Not only do they get In a second case, while attending a meeting to see you outside the ivory tower, but also you chaired by the wing commander, I noted that

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when someone brought up bad news, mem- “Pennsylvania, sir.” bers of the audience kept their eyes not on the “Did you get those shoulders working in a coal briefer but on the commander. They wanted mine?” to read his body language—to see how he would react. In the same manner, the “eyes “Yes sir.” and ears of the wing” were looking at the sub- “Good luck to you tonight, soldier.” ordinate commanders at the table to see how they would react—to see if they would get This exchange demonstrates that Eisenhower along, !x blame, or say nothing. The conduct not only spoke to soldiers, he saw them as well. That was and is rare for generals.3 of the leaders at any meeting, even their inter- actions, in"uences command climate. On that night of 5 June 1944, General As in one-on-one discussions, large meet- Eisenhower watched the members of the en- ings provide a means by which the commander tire 101st Airborne Division board their C-47s, in"uences his or her unit, for good or bad. In waited while they launched, and saluted each the Air Force, we traditionally call the room to plane as it took off.4 I think there was some- attention out of respect for the commander. thing real in the general’s command interac- Just as that focuses everyone on the command- tion—an attitude that connected the com- er’s presence, so should the commander focus mander with his men. This is an essential on his or her conduct during the meeting. aspect of command interaction. Commanders have the power to concentrate I look for that interaction all the time. on the mission’s and their people’s success, When I step out to "y, the crew chiefs and and to build a positive command climate. "ight-line supervisors know that the com- Command interaction is a powerful part of mander is coming out. Those !ve minutes be- commanding the staff and subordinate com- fore I need to climb in and go "y are critical. manders, but especially members of the unit. The same is true when I’m in the staff car driv- How should the commander interact with Air- ing or walking the "ight line during a launch. men? The commander is the identity of the As a commander, you see the other command- unit and the representative of the Air Force ers often, whether in daily meetings or be- enterprise to those Airmen. If you can’t be ap- cause “you’re the boss.” But the people that proachable, if you can’t share some informa- you meet for !ve minutes on the "ight line tion, how are your Airmen supposed to know don’t see the commanders as often. Those few what is important to you? Most of us have seen minutes of interaction represent their com- pictures of Gen Dwight Eisenhower meeting plete picture of them. You can’t afford that with members of the 101st Airborne Division time to be negative in any way. Like General prior to D-day. Some might think it was a me- Eisenhower, you must “see” your Airmen. dia stunt, but in reality it was good for the men Here is an example that humbled me and and good for Eisenhower. According to one emphasized the power of words from a leader. account, I was having breakfast with the wing’s chiefs Corporal Kermit Latta was struck by the “terri!c and with those of Air Education and Training burden of decision and responsibility” which Command and went through the dining-hall showed on his face and by the sincerity of his line !rst. I was polite, engaging, and pleasant effort to communicate with his young soldiers. to the Senior Airman who was cooking. Or so He paused to speak to their group, and we can I thought. As I waited, the two chiefs ordered detect in his exchanges something of the deft their food and chatted with the Senior Air- personal appeal which was to make him the man and other servers. In the time it takes to United States’ most popular postwar president: cook an omelet, the chiefs learned where the “What is your job, soldier?” Senior Airman was from, how he joined the Air Force, that he was a football player, that he “Ammunition bearer, sir.” was !nishing his college degree, and that he “Where is your home?” liked his job at Tyndall AFB, Florida. The two

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chiefs joked with one another and compli- detract from achieving the vision or help it mented the young Airman on his service to along. The point is that just as a commander’s the country. All I got was an omelet, but I was interactions affect Airmen’s ability to accom- pleasant! The Airman got a memorable con- plish the unit’s mission, so can daily routine versation with two command chiefs. Who did hinder attainment of the commander’s vision. the better job as a leader? How do you shape a vision, craft it, and In summary, a commander’s interaction make it valuable to the unit? Command vision with subordinate leaders and Airmen will cre- can be de!ned as that which “empowers, in- ate an environment depending solely on his spires, and challenges. . . . Vision is the rudder or her style. But without a purpose, message, that keeps a ship on course.”6 It is that concept and vision, it can amount to nothing more to which all unit efforts return. When crafting than pleasantries. It is essential that a com- a vision, you should begin by referencing mis- mander communicate a vision—the purpose sion and vision statements for echelons of behind all this interaction. A commander’s in- command above the unit (Air Force, major teraction becomes more than words, e-mails, command, numbered air force, wing, and even or meetings when he or she communicates combatant command, if applicable). Next, you the core of the mission—the vision. should write a vision statement for the unit, fo- cusing it on the future, grounding it on current operations, and dividing it into components. Command Vision We can explain the crafting of a vision state- ment simply by analyzing one. Consider the A commander’s interaction style must be vision that I espouse for my F-22/F-15/Air precise and purposeful. You can’t have one Battle Manager operations group: “Shape the without the other. Vision is a powerful thing, CAF [Combat Air Forces] with Air Dominance but without the tools to communicate, it is War Fighters of Character.” I think it works as wasted. That is why I spoke of command inter- a vision statement because I can break it into action before vision. components that re"ect the values of my Vision is a tough concept to master. Is it just group. The main component ideas are words or a true means by which the com- “shape,” “war !ghters,” and “character.” The mander communicates his or her intent? 325th Operations Group is a training com- Think of “Integrity, Service, Excellence.” Is it a mand. Our focus is air dominance. And war slogan or powerful set of words? Is it a saying !ghters are needed in the global war on terror. on the bottom of PowerPoint slides, or is it Every student will someday be in a position to truly our core values? I think it is what we are in"uence the CAF. Before long, our graduates because I can weave those words into any mis- will become instructors at Tyndall; most instruc- sion, action, or event with which I am associ- tors are in only their third or fourth year of "y- ated. Gen Douglas MacArthur said, “‘Duty,’ ing in their weapon system. Finally, the students ‘Honor,’ ‘Country’—those three hallowed words who depart Tyndall are leaving Air Education reverently dictate what you want to be, what and Training Command and going to the CAF you can be, what you will be.”5 This is true for after nearly two years of "ying training that the US Military Academy’s “Duty, Honor, started at a commissioning source focused on Country,” and it is the same with the Air character development. Isn’t it appropriate Force’s “Integrity First, Service before Self, Ex- that their last training unit again emphasize cellence in All We Do.” But it is that way only character? I’ve had the privilege of "ying with because leaders make it part of their everyday many pilots, and I remain convinced that the actions. Vision—speci!cally, the Air Force’s great ones were people of character. core values—frames our daily operations. A vision statement that can be broken into Vision is an equally tough concept to imple- components directly relating to the mission is ment. It is the inspiration for future operations, useful and helps move the unit ahead. How- while the activity of daily operations can either ever, a vision can simply become a set of words.

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I was in a unit that had very impressive slides then schedule it. If you want time to talk with for various meetings, but I began to notice another commander, then schedule it. With that the last slide always included a powerful my own calendar, after I subtract time for "y- quotation, something that could easily be a ing and meetings, I have roughly two days mission or vision statement—yet it wasn’t the each week to meet my priorities. Command- current wing mission. It wasn’t even the major ers shouldn’t leave time open on the calendar command’s mission. Then it changed! De- and wait to see what comes up. They should pending on the briefer, the ending slide had a have a plan for their time that will support different slogan. It took me a while to track their goals, address their concerns, and sup- down those words and discover that they were port the unit’s vision. old but that they had lingered on the Power- Second, control your in-box—both for paper- Point master slide! Unfortunately, they had work and e-mail. I worked for a man who kept become just words. his in-box in a desk drawer. I supposed he did If a well-crafted commander’s vision can be so purely for aesthetics—for keeping the com- powerful, how does he or she capture that mander’s desk looking neat. But I noticed that power and make it work for the unit? How he would look at the in-box only when he does the commander take the time available wanted to, checking it in the morning and each day and shape it so that the unit’s efforts evening. He would go through it when he had reach towards the vision—the goal? Two the time, and by limiting his constant atten- means for a commander to do that include tion to it, he always had a small stack of paper- keeping a combat focus and planning for each work to plow through. He maximized his time day in command. by limiting his “nibbling” at the in-box. This I have "own in combat, and, clearly, the wasn’t an accident; it was planned. best way commanders can push their vision is The same is true of e-mail messages: you to have a combat focus. That is all there is to could spend all day answering them. Although it. We have one mission to execute, one activ- you would never miss anything, consider the ity for which everyone in the unit is responsi- effort necessary to answer e-mail as it arrives. ble. When all else fails, combat employment, You’ve seen the guy with the belt-mounted execution, and mission are number one! That PDA set to buzz for each new e-mail. He grabs is the emphasis. We are warriors, and a com- it, enters his password, selects “messaging,” se- bat focus is the !rst step towards achieving a lects “e-mail,” and then waits for the program commander’s vision. Think of professional to open. If he doesn’t reply, he takes time to football, whose teams concentrate on winning close the program and return the PDA to his the Super Bowl. Nothing else matters. The belt. Think of the time it takes to answer each same is true in the Air Force—winning in e-mail—how it adds up over a day, a week, a combat is all that matters. year. Haven’t we learned something from the To be focused, a commander requires a industrial revolution of American history? daily plan of attack. Commanders will likely Wouldn’t it be better to set aside time for be bombarded with 50 e-mails a day that can e-mail, much as you do for an in-box, and plow shackle them to their computers, just as the through it all at once? I think so, and I don’t paperwork in-box can occupy them for hours. set my PDA to ring for new e-mails—or wear it Paying excessive attention to immediate needs on my uniform! (Although I know you can, can detract from commanders’ long-term goals. this is my technique!) Here are some ideas to help control the So what is the point of controlling the lit- needs of today and meet the goals of tomor- eral and electronic in-box? To generate time row. First, have a calendar—marked not only to realize your command vision, not simply re- with other people’s meetings that you have to act to daily activities. The payoff is having time attend but also with things that you want to to focus on goals and objectives rather than do. If you want time to walk the "ight line, jumping for every other organization’s priori- then schedule it. If you want time to work out, ties. A commander must keep perspective on

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the needs of daily correspondence versus its focus, keep moving forward, and keep manag- impact on the overall game plan. ing distractions. The largest percentage of a For example, an e-mail from the unit train- commander’s time should concentrate on car- ing manager appeared one day, containing rying out the mission and making the vision a various details found in a status-of-training re- reality—not managing the daily routine. An port as well as comments on additional train- ORI offers one way of determining the success ing that the group lacked. This includes routine of your vision and command-interaction skills. events such as !re-extinguisher training— mandatory items reportable to headquarters because they re"ect the unit’s and each indi- Application: vidual’s ability to deploy. This particular e-mail Preparation for an Operational listed 238 events overdue in the operations group, consisting of !ve squadrons. Two hun- Readiness Inspection dred thirty-eight events! Good grief! This re- A commander’s interaction with his or her quired immediate commander involvement! I command—whether individually, in meetings, made it a priority to “solve this problem” and or via electronic communication—is critical make our “stats” improve. Unfortunately, how- to success. The way that the commander ap- ever, these events had no effect on our daily plies his or her vision to the unit contributes mission; this training did not support my vi- to the command climate. sion. Their completion, whether immediately How can you know that your unit is on the or later, would neither change the number of right track? We are a warrior culture and a na- sorties we "ew nor improve the safe execution tion at war, so combat would represent the ulti- of our primary "ying mission. Worse yet, it mate test. Short of that, consider an ORI. In turned out that the operations group and all the preparation for and execution of this in- of its Airmen had over 20,000 ancillary train- spection, a unit commander faces a strong ing events to ful!ll! This e-mail about the sta- challenge of his or her command climate. tus of ancillary training identi!ed less than 1.2 Earlier, I talked about command interac- percent of the annual training requirements tion and then about vision. I chose this order that were delinquent! What would a reason- because without the tools for communication, able level of training amount to? Perhaps 90 a good vision will rot within the commander. percent complete? That translates to 2,000 But a major event like an ORI demands that events not completed—and we would still be we start with vision. We always want to begin at 90 percent! with “outstanding” and work from there. We’re The point is that an e-mail arrives announc- all winners; it’s why we are in the service and ing a problem, but without a comprehensive desire to !ght the good !ght. But what if you approach to determining its priority and rele- declare “an ‘outstanding’ or go home” and vance to the mission, it can quickly become a then garner only an “excellent”? A better snare for a commander’s time. Commanders place to start is to simply say, “We’ll do our need that time to make their vision real. How best” and build a game plan that focuses on often has an e-mail arrived announcing a the ORI’s major areas. deadline for required information to “solve a I was once involved in an ORI, working problem”? I suggest that, often, the problem closely with the chief of Standardization and is neither a mission-threatening issue nor wor- Evaluation (Stan/Eval), who told me point- thy of the given deadline. True, a commander blank that the best we could expect was a “sat- must react to his or her superiors, but without isfactory” since there were just too many issues a game plan for e-mail, the “ping” can be to correct in the time remaining. It was a truth- translated down into the unit with the wrong ful and accurate assessment. To our credit, message about priorities and focus. though, both of us agreed to attempt to earn Simply stated, have a command vision, and the best possible rating. It took commitment, make time to move it along. Keep a combat far more extra effort than expected, and close

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interaction between us to !nd the key areas ducted by the same people who will re- and determine where to place our main ef- turn to inspect during the ORI. The key fort. It wasn’t fun preparing, but we achieved is to think like the inspectors and use our vision—an “outstanding” rating. To this the same procedures they use. The IG day, I think we succeeded because we started inspectors are Airmen, just like us. They small and worked big. We literally applied the run checklists and inspect according to old adage that “the journey of 1,000 miles be- the AFIs, so there is no magic involved! gins with a single step.” We transferred vision What they can do, you can too. from wishful thinking into something that If that answers vision, what of interactions? produced practical results—and that chief of An ORI tests commanders’ interaction with Stan/Eval was a true hero! their commands. Clearly, they have the great- Now I’ll bet you want more detail than est experience with inspections and know the “work from small to large” when facing an mission and operations. Quite literally, com- ORI. Your ORI is probably not the unit’s !rst. manders can best endure the brunt of the in- A review of past reports offers a good place to spection and handle all details. But, of course, start. Beyond that, here are some focal points they can’t do that. They have to get their units for inspection preparation: ready, get them to do the work, be ready to 1. Obvious discrepancies. Do not have an meet inspectors, and solve problems. This is obvious, lingering issue that would cause the test of communications within a unit. the inspector general (IG) to say, “Our An ORI is known as a leadership test. Al- hands are tied. Sorry!” Determine what though it tests vision—the ability to set a goal must be at 100 percent. and reach it—the ORI really gauges a com- mander’s ability to interact and communicate 2. Checklists and Air Force instructions with his or her Airmen. After the inspection, (AFI). Every inspector asks, “What do you we quickly forget the grade—but not the do?” and follows with, “Show me your months of preparation. The methods, tone, checklist and AFIs.” We all do our jobs, and environment created by the commander’s but can we show why we do them that way approach to the ORI will remain. The ORI and document training and execution? tests the commander’s skill at interacting with 3. Programs. Whether they are major, like Airmen in the face of a challenge. When the Stan/Eval or Quality Assurance, or mi- IG tells the commander, “We have a !nding nor, such as recall rosters, if they are you need to know about,” his or her interac- programs, they will be inspected. So they tion skills are going to be stressed and tested. must be in good order! Consider trying The ORI will assess commanders’ ability to an information-exchange program be- overcome obstacles to ful!lling their vision. It tween units with similar programs. requires honed interaction skills that are both logical and practical. Some say that we should 4. Attitude. Likely, the IG team will !nd do away with ORIs or call them something faults in every area it examines. If in- else, but that is nonsense! Tested units per- spectors !nd nothing on !rst glance, form better, and tested commanders improve they will continue to dig. I suspect that their leadership skills. subjective judgment plays a role in de- termining the !nal grade. The unit with attitude (which includes dress, appear- Conclusion ance, customs, and courtesies) can win that “gray area.” This article is one of many on command. It won’t be the last, and it presents no new trick 5. Staff-assistance visits and self-inspections. or fad. I sought to take some of the mystery These are powerful tools for the com- out of formulating a command vision and to mander because they are often con- emphasize that command interactions are

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powerful tools. I hope it made you think, “I’ve interactions that inspire con!dence in their been there” or “I’ll watch for that.” leaders and trust amongst their subordinates. I concentrated on command climate—the The effort placed on command interactions subjective assessment that a unit is good or makes all the difference. bad. Commanders play the greatest role in de- What does it all add up to? Some call it moral termining the unit’s status by setting the vi- toughness within a unit, good morale, or posi- sion, focusing the unit’s eyes on the goals, and tive command climate. Any way you interpret R de-emphasizing the daily routine. At the same it, I say it adds up to successful command! time, they build a cohesive unit via personal Tyndall AFB, Florida

Notes 1. Air University (AU)-2, Guidelines for Command: A 3. Merle Miller, Ike the Soldier: As They Knew Him (New Handbook on the Leadership of People for Air Force Commanders York: G. P. Putman’s Sons, 1987), 617. and Supervisors (Maxwell AFB, AL: Air University Press, 4. Ibid., 618. September 2003), 1, http://www.maxwell.af.mil/au/aul/ 5. Gen Douglas MacArthur (speech to the Corps of aupress/Books/au-2/AU-2.pdf. Cadets, US Military Academy, West Point, 12 May 1962), 2. LTC Duane A. Lempke, “Command Climate: The http://www.nationalcenter.org/MacArthurFarewell.html. Rise and the Decline of a Military Concept” (master’s thesis, 6. AU-2, Guidelines for Command, 23. US Army War College, April 1988), 33, http://stinet.dtic .mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA194178&Location=U2 &doc=GetTRDoc.pdf.

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