Photo By Senior Airman Jacob Dastas | A 325th Logistics Readiness Squadron Travel Management Office Airman performs an...... read more read more
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In recent years, the U.S. Air Force has put a large emphasis on operational efficiency and combat readiness. With that in mind, Maj. Kristoffer Surdukowski and Mr. Robert Pagenkopf, co-founders of the Operational Support Team, set out to create a program to help units around the installation.
While Airmen across the installation perform tests and exercises the Operations Support Team can evaluate current and potential physical issues members may be facing and give medical advice on how to fix their problem to bolster health and fitness as well as operational and combat readiness.
“We integrate with squadrons and provide musculoskeletal injury prevention, mental health expertise and support a sustainable culture; by empowering the Airmen of the unit to be self-sufficient,” said Surdukowski. “The program goals are to optimize [member’s] resilience, improve unit effectiveness and support a sustainable culture of maximum Airman and Guardian performance.”
With this game plan in mind, the goal was clear for the two, on how they hoped to help every member of Team Tyndall. According to Pagenkopf, the OST’s focus is on higher risk units to provide an accurate assessment of injuries and ailments of Airmen to commanders and in turn work with them to develop a Unit Action Plan.
“[The teams then] engage with unit members to improve musculoskeletal and mental health status,” added Pagenkopf. “We use the Functional Movement Screen and the Body Mass index to enable us to identify individual issues and group trends.”
By utilizing the gathered information from these exercises and tests, the OST was able to restructure how some units go about their daily tasks.
“We are able to develop trainings to help the Airmen be healthier now and prevent injury in the future,” continued Surdukowski. “We recognized that a healthier and more resilient Air Force is a more effective Air Force.”
Surdukowski explained further that the OST will provide Airmen the tools to be physically, mentally and emotionally fit and continue to improve overall mission readiness, not only for the 325th Fighter Wing, but the entire Air Force.
“As many military leaders have highlighted recently, we are a volunteer force, we have chosen this path of service and this choice makes us stronger than our enemies. That is why OST’s goal is to ensure that Airmen are ready for the fight ahead and are personally resilient enough to recover and retaliate,” Surdukowski concluded. “Operational Support Teams are being activated at many Air Force bases around the world and in the near future every base will have an OST.”
By introducing programs like the Operational Support Teams, Airmen across the Air Force are transitioning their focus from defensive to offensive, allowing Tyndall Air Force Base to maintain the title of “Installation as the Future” and cultivate the projection of unrivalled combat air power.
| Date Taken: | 03.29.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 03.30.2023 11:13 |
| Story ID: | 441570 |
| Location: | TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 29 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Evaluate and Examine: How a Team is Building Resilience One Airman at a time, by SrA Jacob Dastas, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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