Photo By Diana Nesukh | The Requirements Development Workshop (RDW) was held in Orlando, Florida, April 18 –...... read more read more
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The Requirements Development Workshop (RDW) returned to an in-person event for its fifth year after three years of COVID-19 restrictions. Over 335 Airman Civil Engineers, including requirement and optimization (R&O) specialists and programmers, attended the workshop taking place April 18 – 20, 2023, in Orlando, Florida, while approximately 800 tuned in virtually.
Almost every installation was represented, as well as the Air Staff, AFIT, AFCEC, AFIMSC, and MAJCOMs, to discuss tools, processes, policies, challenges, and successes in identifying and developing solid facility requirements.
During the workshop, there were 36 breakout sessions for targeted discussions, covering topics such as enterprise sustainment management systems, new programming policies, and how new tools such as 3-D scanning can be used to upgrade and maintain facilities.
Through open communication between Airmen Civil Engineers at the base level and Air Staff from headquarters, the sessions created synergy across the R&O and programming communities, while facilitating a place for attendees to connect with the CE community.
Brigadier General Brian Hartless, Director of Civil Engineers, opened the workshop by outlining the crucial role the civil engineer enterprise has in meeting the demands of the future. He stressed the need to align everything civil engineers do to the National Defense Strategy (NDS), placing a primary focus on our deterrence against China while collaborating with allies and partners on shared objectives.
As the Air Force goes through a transformational period, he emphasized the pressures we feel and will continue to feel on our budget. While the success of the Air Force lies in the hands of many, Hartless specifically called out R&O specialists and programmers as ground zero. “The key to ensuring that we are equipped for the future fight rests in your hands,” said Hartless. “The people at the base level are going to help us figure out where to spend that next dollar.”
A highlight this year was a keynote address delivered by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force (CSAF), General CQ Brown Jr.
He began by emphasizing the impact installations have on the United States’ ability to defeat its competitors by quoting Gen. Henry H. “Hap” Arnold that Air bases are a determining factor in the success or failure of air operations.
Arnold’s quote is still true today and although the global environment has changed over the last 50 years, the core mission of civil engineers has stayed constant, contributing to the success of air operations.
He briefly illustrated how far the Air Force has come, while reminding the audience that the next ten years might be uncertain, but civil engineers have the power to shape them. Brown shared that to be successful we must work together with Congress, industry, joint teams, our allies, and partners.
Earlier this year, Brown signed the Air Force Future Operating Concept (AFFOC) to ensure long-range planning is intentionally linked to the Joint Warfighting Concept. To be able to execute on our mission, Brown emphasized the need for multi-capable airmen executing on the six key fights of the AFFOC: the fight to compete with or deter, the fight to get into theater, the fight to get airborne, the fight for air superiority, the fight to deny adversary objectives, and the fight to sustain ourselves, our allies and partners in competition and conflict.
Both Hartless and Brown underscored the need for the Operational Imperatives to reverberate in every aspect of the mission, with resilient forward basing taking center stage for civil engineers.
Reflecting on how airmen used to deploy to static bases in the past, Brown illustrated that future deployment might be airmen arriving on base as the first ones there. Resilient forward basing requires multi-capable airmen that embrace Agile Combat Employment.
During Brown’s conclusion he emphasized the importance of quality leadership and the difference it can make for the future of the Air Force; but also highlighted the quality-of-life initiatives and the ways he is advocating for funding with Congress, while shedding light on what is on the horizon.
With a robust list of speakers and breakout sessions covering an array of different topics, this year’s RDW provided a platform for collaborative discussions, knowledge sharing, and feedback to improve strategies moving forward.
| Date Taken: | 04.18.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 07.26.2023 16:47 |
| Story ID: | 450056 |
| Location: | ORLANDO, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 289 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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