FIP visits Team Whiteman

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Joel Pfiester
  • 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  Air Force Global Strike Command's Force Improvement Program team recently paid a visit to Team Whiteman as part of their tour of the command's bomber bases.

The FIP team gathered an immense amount of data from the Airmen out in the field, conducting more than 1,700 interviews and nearly 4,500 surveys throughout the command. These efforts were designed to give leadership a grass-roots perspective on the state of the command.

"I believe it was successful in that we were able to put Airmen in direct contact with representatives from the MAJCOM to address mission-related and quality-of-life issues that they feel need to be addressed," Lt. Col. Timothy Hale, 509th Operations Group deputy commander, said. "I think the FIP will also identify issues for leaders at all levels that they may not have necessarily been otherwise aware of."

Several hundred Airmen from Whiteman had the opportunity to meet with the FIP team and offer insight on issues that they deal with on a daily basis.

"I think Airmen can expect to see some changes in the near term," Hale said. "I think the most important take-away is not how quickly changes are made, but how the long-lasting changes will directly affect our culture and subsequently enhance our mission readiness."

Hale said Airmen who participated in the FIP interviews should be proud of their participation, because it will bring lasting changes for the bomber community.

"We also owe a debt of gratitude to our fellow Airmen that volunteered to go out on the road as a member of the AFGSC FIP team," he said. "On very short notice, they made a significant sacrifice in time and effort to make things better for all of us in AFGSC."