[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 147 (Thursday, October 15, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2186-E2187]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. JOHN M. SPRATT, JR.

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 15, 1998

  Mr. SPRATT. Mr. Speaker, the military chiefs have brought their 
readiness problems to Congress, and the Secretary of Defense has 
brought his case for a bigger budget to the President. Here in 
Congress, we tend to see defense from a broad overview. We hear a lot 
about procurement cost overruns and too little about the men and women 
in uniform who work long hours, and through innovation and ingenuity, 
save their country millions of dollars.
  I visited Shaw Air Force Base in my district over the August break. 
After seeing some of the efficiencies that Air force personnel have put 
into practice at Shaw. I asked Colonel Daniel P. Leaf, Commander of the 
20th Fighter Wing at Shaw, to give me a letter detailing their cost 
avoidance initiatives. Here is how Colonel Leaf described the 
efficiencies and savings that his personnel at Shaw have implemented:


       ``In FY 97, the innovation and ingenuity of our folks led 
     to cost avoidance and savings of over $3 million on 99 spare 
     TF34-34-GE-100A engines. Our Regional Repair Center supports 
     A-10 units at Pope AFB NC, Moody AFB GA, Eglin AFB FL, and 
     Spangdahlem AB GE. NCOs suggested a change to erosion 
     inspection criteria on TF34s engines. Once approved, that 
     allowed us to reuse nine compressor rotors, $513,693 and 
     1,350 man-hours in FY97 alone. Other TF34 repair centers 
     adopted this change and saved the taxpayers $684,924 and 
     1,800 man-hours. Our technicians came up with another high 
     value initiative, recommending field replacement of high-
     pressure turbine blades in the field instead of sending the 
     entire assembly back to depot. This change saved $45,300 per 
     engine or $814,400 and 11,520 man-hours in FY97! These 
     additional man-hours equate to more engines, more savings, 
     and improved readiness. These and other changes to take us 
     over $3,000,000 in savings represent the best of the American 
     spirit. In FY98 we've avoided expenditures and saved a total 
     of $1.6 million. Adding our engine savings up since FY94 
     comes to over $16 million--I am immensely proud of this team!
       ``We have had several other `airman-based' success stories 
     I would like to share with you in a little less detail. As 
     one of a few lead wings in the Air Force, we're converting 
     all our F-16s from bias ply to radial tires. Radial tires 
     provide 50 percent more landings, cutting man-hours and use 
     of support equipment. The Corrosion Control Element 
     identified a local source of Sherwin-Williams paint saving 
     $3,500 annually. This paint requires less thinner, improves 
     adhesion, and reduces hazardous organic compounds 60 percent. 
     The troops also developed a process reducing the chromate 
     exposure while preparing aircraft for paint reducing 
     environmental impact and protecting our personnel. Our people 
     took the initiative to establish a state-of-the-art cable 
     repair operation for our F-16s and support equipment. This is 
     only one in Air Combat Command (ACC), and has already 
     realized over $20,000 in savings with an annual projection of 
     $260,000. Our specialists researched

[[Page E2187]]

     F-16 wing braces believing the fracture criterion was too 
     strict for minor nicks. Coordinating with engineers at depot, 
     they approved our ideas, saving $19,000 and 780 man-hours on 
     the spot. This is already having a major impact on repairing 
     F-16s across the Air Force. We are now ordering all vehicle 
     parts, directly cutting out the middleman and saving a 
     projected $28,000 this year. Our Base Service Store on Shaw 
     has now been contracted out to LC Industries, expanding 
     service, equipment, and including hazardous materials.
       ``We are leading the Air Force in reengineering our 
     processes in Transportation and Supply by combining similar 
     functions and eliminating others. We will cut about 30 
     positions equating to about $1 million in annual personnel 
     savings. To improve our processes, we are consolidating 
     similar technologies into a Center of Technology concept. 
     Consolidating maintenance, supply, and transportation 
     processes will reduce the number of facilities used and 
     relocate them closer to the customer on the flightline. In 
     maintenance alone, we will reduce operating locations by 
     five, decreasing supervisors' span of control, facility 
     maintenance, and increasing productivity.
       ``All of the hard work, great ideas, and process 
     improvements led to a number of awards. We won the ACC Supply 
     Daedalian Award and placed second in the Air Force Oust 
     behind Air Mobility Command's entry, Charlestown AFB. 
     Transportation Squadron took command honors by winning the 
     National Defense Transportation Award. The 78th Fighter 
     Squardron won the ACC and Air Force maintenance effectiveness 
     Award (Small Aircraft Category), while the Component Repair 
     Squadron won the ACC Maintenance Effectiveness Award.''

     

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