U.S. Air Force Maintenance Group Aerial Ports: Strengths, Challenges, Opportunities, and Threats

Abstract

In 2005 the Base Closure Realignment Commission and Secretary of Defense recommended joint basing; as an indirect result starting in 2009 and culminating the following year, Charleston, Dover, McChord, McGuire, and Travis maintenance groups (MXG) took command of aerial port squadrons (APS). Various entities have discussed at length the impact; however, there did not appear to be a documented hard look into the strengths, challenges, opportunities, and threats (SCOTs) which emerged. This study utilized the Delphi method to flesh out MXG APS SCOTs by anonymously surveying MXG and APS experts through three panel rounds. This study discovered and documented 24 SCOTs and viewed them through the Competing Values Framework (CVF) theoretical lens. The majority of the panel’s inputs concerning maintenance and aerial port entities fell on opposing sides of the CVF; which may explain why the panel, consisting of maintenance and APS leaders, did not reach strong consensus in two out of four SCOT categories. This study proposes creating a wing or standalone group to house the five aerial ports or altering the MXG title to be more representative of all squadrons assigned and ensuring at least one logistics readiness officer or aerial porter is on each MXG leadership team

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