by U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Gilberto S. Perez Deputy Commander, 690th Cyberspace Operations Group; Deputy Director, 688th Cyberspace Wing Operations & Intelligence (A2/3); Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Dartmouth College
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas—Innovation is central to the Airman ethos, exemplified by historical milestones such as the 1942 Dolittle Raid bold launch of B-25 Mitchell bombers off a Navy aircraft carrier to transform long-range bombing techniques, the 1975 Red Flag exercises that revolutionized combat readiness, and 2017 Project Maven unprecedented integration of machine learning for intelligence analysis.
The U.S. Air Force Core Values (1997) emphasize continuous improvement, stating, "We must have a passion for continuous improvement and innovation that propels America's Air Force in quantum leaps towards accomplishment and performance." Cultivating this 'Good, Better, Best' mindset drives Airmen and Guardians to constantly pursue excellence, where performance and credibility are paramount.
These purposeful habits of improvement fuel cultural transformation across the Department of the Air Force. DAF Instruction 38-401, Continuous Process Improvement (CPI), and DAF Instruction 38-402, Airmen Powered by Innovation and Suggestion Program mandate that leaders make improvements operational—not optional.
Darla Kelly, SAF Performance Management & Innovation’s Certified Master Black Belt Instructor, shared “CI² provides a way to help solve problems, share ideas, and develop individuals into positive change agents at every echelon of the organization—a key enabler to ensuring we stay efficient, flexible, and mission-focused.”
In 2012, as a junior captain, I started my formal Continuous improvement and innovation (CI2) journey by completing Green Belt training at Robins Air Force Base. The training was life altering, as it gave me a newfound perspective to think, tools to act, and confidence to lead with purpose.
By the early 2010s—nearly a decade after September 11th—the Air Force was facing the strain of sustained global operations. The major challenge was having the bandwidth to focus on reconstitution and the in-garrison responsibilities to ensure long-term readiness.
At the 5th Combat Communication Group, whose rallying cry is ‘5th MOB, Let’s Go!’, faced a relentless deployment cycle to deliver expeditionary communications worldwide and limited resources in-garrison to manage the life-cycle management of equipment. This is when we realized over 100 plus CONEX containers filled with outdated equipment had accumulated and scattered across the deployment yard over the years.
To address this issue, we applied Lean’s “Go to Gemba” approach (going to the place where the work is done) and 6S tool (Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardize, Sustain, and Safety). We opened all the containers, scrutinized item-by-item, then turned excess government property to Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services to reuse, transfer, or donate before being sold or scrapped.
According to Brig. Gen. Randy Oakland, Joint Base San Antonio and 502d Air Base Wing Commander, stated, “Fostering a growth-mindset, where leaders are equipped to leverage data for rapid decision-making, is an operational imperative to ensure we outpace our adversaries and maintain our competitive advantage.””
Leaders must invest in our people by giving them the necessary skills to leverage data to advance the organization and accelerate the decision-making process faster than our adversaries is an operational imperative.”
CI² isn’t just for commanders—it’s for every Airman and Guardian. Those who complete the training earn a Special Experience Identifier (SEI) or Defense Personnel Data System (DCPDS) code, which signifies you earned a specialized training and/or certification in Lean Six Sigman methodologies to identify problems and improve processes.
Why wait? This valuable training, with an external value of $500 to $3800 per student, is provided free of charge to Department of the Air Force personnel through the Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force, Office of Administration and Management SAF/AME.
Register for the Air Force Continuous CI2 e-learning courses through https://usaf.opusworks.com/index.asp.