Weekly Roll Call 9-15 Feb 2007

  • Published
  • By Senior Leadership
  • Pentagon
WASHINGTON, D.C. --  Ancillary Training Week of 9 Feb 07 - 15 Feb 07
The Air Force thinks Airmen need to spend less time on non-job related training
Anti-terrorism awareness training; information assurance awareness training; law of armed conflict training; self aid and buddy care training; records management training; DOD homosexual policy training; sexual assault prevention training; suicide awareness training...and that's just the short list.

These are all examples of "ancillary training." Ancillary training is defined as training outside an Airman's specialty or primary duties, but necessary to ensure mission success. Requirements for ancillary training come when the Air Force, the DOD, other federal agencies, or even lawmakers decide that military members must be informed or trained on certain subjects on a reoccurring basis.

Because Airmen's time is a valuable commodity that must be budgeted, managed and protected, the Air Force is taking a hard look at the frequency, duration and delivery methods of ancillary training. Ancillary training requirements affect Airmen across the Total Force.

On the active duty side, some Airmen spend disproportionate amounts of their time completing ancillary training instead of performing their Air Force job. Within the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, Airmen who often serve just a few days a month sometimes find they need to spend an entire training weekend completing ancillary training requirements instead of doing more relevant job-related training.

Ancillary training is important; every training requirement started as a way to keep Airmen safe and informed. However, some of the training may no longer be relevant. In others, the requirement may still be relevant or legally required, but we can streamline the way we deliver the training. Recently, leaders from around the Air Force met at Randolph AFB for a "rapid improvement event" about ancillary training. An RIE is an "Air Force Smart Ops 21" meeting where people get together, write out the way something is done, discuss what's wrong with it, and then make it shorter, cleaner, faster, more efficient, and less expensive.

Air Force leaders now believe they can reduce ancillary training requirements anywhere from 30 to 50 percent. They will do this by eliminating training that is no longer relevant, redesigning needed training so that it takes less time but delivers the same impact, and changing the requirements for some training so that it is delivered only as needed.

MAJCOMs and wings will also be asked to revalidate their ancillary training and mirror the new streamlined review process being implemented at the Air Force level. Also, the Air Force will look at ways to centralize responsibility for tracking training requirements. Instead of individuals at flight or squadron level tracking compliance as part of an extra
duty, someone at group or wing level might do the job.

Air Force leaders know ancillary training takes up a lot of your time, and they are working to fix things so you can get away from the classroom or computer, and get back to the Air Force Mission.