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AFSO 21 -- A smarter armory

By Tech. Sgt. Brian Jones, 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs / Published October 30, 2006

Airman 1st Class John Wilkerson, 39th Security Forces Squadron member, hands his weapon to Airman 1st Class Nichelle Ingram, 39th SFS armer, during shift change Oct. 30. The armory made changes to quickly get security forces members in and out of the armory in timely matter saving valuable time for other things. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Patrice Clarke)
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Airman 1st Class John Wilkerson, 39th Security Forces Squadron member, hands his weapon to Airman 1st Class Nichelle Ingram, 39th SFS armer, during shift change Oct. 30. The armory made changes to quickly get security forces members in and out of the armory in timely matter saving valuable time for other things. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Patrice Clarke)

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INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey -- In an effort to enhance mission effectiveness and return time to Airmen, members of the 39th Security Forces Squadron armory have streamlined their equipment issue process, allowing security forces members to come on and get off shift faster.

"When I first got here, everything was spread out," said Staff Sgt. David Walker, 39th SFS noncommissioned officer in charge of armory operations. "This is the largest armory I've worked in and we had space that was being under utilized. We took a look at the entire set up to see what we could do better -- where we could save footsteps."

The solution was to move high issue items such as M-4 rifles, magazines, radios and night vision equipment closer to the armory's arming window.

"It took a long time to get from point A to point B, so we moved everything closer," said Airman 1st Class Nichelle Ingram, 39th SFS armorer.

Prior to the reorganization, arming an entire flight prior to guard mount would take an hour or more, now it takes only about 30 minutes, according to Sergeant Walker.

The new process allows security forces Airmen to get out on post quicker.

"The process is a lot smoother. My flight members and I armed faster," said Airman 1st Class Andrea Lafaso, 39th SFS, operation bravo flight member. "We're able to relieve the out-going shift faster. Everyone likes to get off shift on time."
In addition to getting on post faster, the new armory procedures also enable security forces members to get off-duty sooner.

"We're able to decrease stress on the flights," said Sergeant Walker. "(With the arming process) an eight-hour shift turns into a nine- or 10-hour shift. We're cutting down the time they have to spend in uniform."

"They are already tired and we want to get them out of here as soon as possible," said Airman Ingram.

While enabling security forces members to come on and get off shift faster increases overall mission effectiveness, giving Airmen a little more of a limited resource may be even more valuable.

"Time is precious," said Airman Lafaso. "It's good to have some extra time when you get off duty for yourself."