27th SOCES increases efficiency through reorganization Published Sept. 5, 2008 By 2nd Lt. Raymond Gobberg 27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- In January 2006, faced with budget cuts and manpower reductions, Air Force civil engineers altered their organizational strategies to absorb and minimize the impact of these growing challenges. "This Air Force wide transformation will realign organizational structures at all levels - Air Staff, Major Command, and squadron - and centralize the core engineering capabilities," said Maj. Gen. Del Eulberg, the Air Force's top civil engineer, in 2007. "The restructuring will be consistent at all levels, creating a simplified route for needs and information to move between levels." Eulberg recognized that the private sector, when faced with these challenges, implemented reorganization plans with a great degree of success, said Ron Lancaster, 27th Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron and chief of the Asset Management Flight. "General Eulberg saw an opportunity to mirror these successes in the CE squadrons," continued Mr. Lancaster. "He chose to reorganize to create efficiencies through realigning and more importantly, standardizing our business processes across the Air Force." According to him, most functions currently performed in a CE squadron remain the same, while others have realigned under the new structure. "Before the reorganization, the Civil Engineer Squadron had eight flights," said Mr. Lancaster. "The new organizational structure has seven flights." One of the most important results of this new structure is the Asset Management Flight. This new flight combines the legacy environmental, housing and real property and community planning functions with other responsibilities to make up three elements, according to Lancaster. "This integration is a key aspect of enabling squadrons to optimize the mission support and address the entire installation more holistically as an interdependent asset portfolio," he said. While the changes are mostly invisible to customers, both the base and the civil engineer career field will experience more subtle, positive impacts throughout all business activities. "When fully completed, the realignment will centralize management and accountability, create common standards and processes and improve personnel interchangeability between units," said Mr. Lancaster. "[Additionally,] leveraging subject matter experts and creating consistent implementation of corporate strategic initiatives will improve budget execution and reduce duplication of effort." The broad Air Force Civil Engineer reorganization consists of five initiatives: · Centralize capital investment execution management at the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment · Revise fire emergency services concept of operations · Reengineer Air Force Materiel Command Civil Engineer Groups · Enhance Explosive Ordnance Disposal and war-fighting capabilities · Reorganize Air Force Civil Engineer Squadrons Complete alignment of the elements (both physically and organizationally) is due to be accomplished at base level by October 1, 2008, according to Mr. Lancaster.