Iowa Wing CAP

[RiverAux]

So... what's the standards, are they formal/informal targets, are they hard tied to money or no, is there bonus money at target points, most of all how are the metrics run & reported, what factors are considered, what additional management & data collection do you do to accomplish this (cause the CAP-side is almost non-existant)... you know the details.

I think we're interested in exactly whats tracking and I'm sure DNall would agree that we're not asking for what your performance looks like as that could be an OPSEC issue. 

[isuhawkeye]

Well this thread has sat dormant for a while so I guess I'll tackle it.  In several talks with EMA, and National Guard personnel our "readiness and preparedness" was talked about.  The wing's leadership was quick to ask what the National Guard's standards were.  They base readiness on 70%.  70% of what we thought?

Well we are looking at two different things. 

#1 Readiness.  This is the base level of knowledge and training that a member has.  An airman, or soldier is not counted as an asset in the unit's readiness statistic until they complete Basic Training, AIT, or other job related skills.  CAP has similar base knowledge and skills that must be completed before our members can be operational.  Level 1, Cadet Protection, General ES, and then an Emergency Services Specialty (GTM, Scanner, MSA, MRO, ETC), are a starting point.  Fortunately our academy graduates have completed all of the requirements to meet readiness guidelines. 

#2. Preparedness.  This topic is a little more subjective.  What does it meet to be "prepared"?  Well, this is the standard that says you can actually do the jobs that have been tasked to you.  This means practice.  Squadrons should practice their skills.

So what has Iowa done?  First of all we decided that each functional unit should achieve a 70% readiness, and preparedness goal.  This number allows for those people who only want to do aerospace, or cadet programs, but is a high enough standard that we can assure that when requests come down from the feds, or the state (Title 10/Title 36) we know that we will be able to respond. 

T next question will be the matrix of requirements that qualifies an individual as both ready, and prepare.  A committee has been formed with the DO, and Several Squadron CC's to create a matrix.  Perhaps Critelli, or Cyclone can comment on the status of this matrix.

[isuhawkeye]

Ill be in Juno Beach until Wednesday if anyone is interested

[Chief Chiafos]

I am the "steely-eyed" Chief the Iowa Wing is so fond of.  One of the most important things we are doing is bring back the non-commissioned officer corps.  We intend to use the NCO as our armed forces do: to lead, train, demand accountability and compliance.  I have recently been appointed by General Pineda as CAP's first command chief, and have been tasked to assist any wing seeking to use the vast expireance of the NCO to better our organization.

[cyclone]

Well this thread has sat dormant for a while so I guess I'll tackle it.  In several talks with EMA, and National Guard personnel our "readiness and preparedness" was talked about.  The wing's leadership was quick to ask what the National Guard's standards were.  They base readiness on 70%.  70% of what we thought?

Well we are looking at two different things. 

#1 Readiness.  This is the base level of knowledge and training that a member has.  An airman, or soldier is not counted as an asset in the unit's readiness statistic until they complete Basic Training, AIT, or other job related skills.  CAP has similar base knowledge and skills that must be completed before our members can be operational.  Level 1, Cadet Protection, General ES, and then an Emergency Services Specialty (GTM, Scanner, MSA, MRO, ETC), are a starting point.  Fortunately our academy graduates have completed all of the requirements to meet readiness guidelines. 

#2. Preparedness.  This topic is a little more subjective.  What does it meet to be "prepared"?  Well, this is the standard that says you can actually do the jobs that have been tasked to you.  This means practice.  Squadrons should practice their skills.

So what has Iowa done?  First of all we decided that each functional unit should achieve a 70% readiness, and preparedness goal.  This number allows for those people who only want to do aerospace, or cadet programs, but is a high enough standard that we can assure that when requests come down from the feds, or the state (Title 10/Title 36) we know that we will be able to respond. 

T next question will be the matrix of requirements that qualifies an individual as both ready, and prepare.  A committee has been formed with the DO, and Several Squadron CC's to create a matrix.  Perhaps Critelli, or Cyclone can comment on the status of this matrix.

Drink an umbrella drink for me isuhawkeye!

The readiness and preparedness standards have been a work in progress.  We have worked extensively with the unit commanders to take hard looks at their membership rosters and purge out people who are truly inactive so that they can get an accurate assessment of who is truly there to start looking at. 

Once we purged those people it was on to identifying the qualified vs unqualified.  If they were unqualified it became an exercise to determine what they needed to get qualified and then tracking out what to do in order to hit the mark. 

As we've worked that out we have been trying to fine tune standards of practice.   Practice is not as easy to measure as qualification, but we are working that out.  We are encouraging proficiency by creating unit practices as well as practice opportunities regularly for our qualified people.   

[flapsUP]

Looks to me like you're trying to jig the numbers. You purge the inactive members to make the rest of the squadron numbers look good. It's all subjective.  Who is inactive? What must one do to be considered active?

The last I read, you still are operating under the "yall come and we'll convert you" theory of recruitment. You take all comers and try to convert them into what the squadron needs.  Fire departments tried this and it almost broke them. If you truly want to adopt a readiness and preparedness standard you have to be willing to give up  "yall come" membership and go to slot recruitment.

OAM:  I understand your CS is hosting an internet teleconference (Structural Change thread).  See if you can get him to host one for this thread so we all can hear what you have to say about your Wing's progress.

Keep up the good work Iowa.  You may be our only hope for turning this organization around.

[Nick Critelli]

I have no problem setting up a Webinar on the Iowa Wing to rountable matters discussed in this thread provided there is enough interest.  Frankly it isn't work the effort and cost (which I'll absorb) if only ten or so people are interested. 

What say out there....any interest? 

NICK CRITELLI, Lt Col CAP
Chief of Staff --- Iowa Wing

[Al Sayre]

Count me in, and I can probably get our WG/CC or WG/CV interested along with a few others.

[Nick Critelli]

Thanks Al. 

I didn't think there would be much interest in attending a Webinar about what the IAWG reorganization is all about.  However if you wish to personally discuss our situation, e-mail me and I'll give you my cell phone and we can talk. 

NICK CRITELLI
ncritelli@iawg.cap.gov

[cyclone]

Looks to me like you're trying to jig the numbers. You purge the inactive members to make the rest of the squadron numbers look good. It's all subjective.  Who is inactive? What must one do to be considered active?

The last I read, you still are operating under the "yall come and we'll convert you" theory of recruitment. You take all comers and try to convert them into what the squadron needs.  Fire departments tried this and it almost broke them. If you truly want to adopt a readiness and preparedness standard you have to be willing to give up  "yall come" membership and go to slot recruitment.

OAM:  I understand your CS is hosting an internet teleconference (Structural Change thread).  See if you can get him to host one for this thread so we all can hear what you have to say about your Wing's progress.

Keep up the good work Iowa.  You may be our only hope for turning this organization around.

Nope, no "jigging" in numbers.  We are transferring out inactives to our reserve squadron (where they should have been to begin with).   For example, we all have had people in our units that pay dues and show up once, twice, three times per year.  Either that or their current status in life (work, kids, etc) don't allow them to participate in CAP regularly (on a monthly basis).   So they are transferred to the 000 Reserve Squadron.  That way the unit commander isn't staring at an Alpha roster with someone on there who really cannot currently fulfil the needs of the unit.  From the perspective of the Wing HQ it allows us to better look at our people and see who are current and qualified people are that we can count on to respond and work our recruitment and training to make up for deficiencies.  If someone has time to be active again, enter the CAPF 2a, and back to a local unit you go.

The days of "yall come" recruitment are over in Iowa.  We are selectively recruiting to fill the target need. All of our new officers are going through the OTS to improve our quality and standardize our training.  We are looking for people with mission skills and motivation.  The guy with a checkbook in his hot little hands joining right now is not what's going on.  We have a method to the recruitment now that helps ensure greater success and retention with our new officers and cadets so that we are not fighting many of the mistakes of the past.

We have also started to work with unit leadership to generate Unit Manning Documents.  Basically what would your ideal unit staffing be to function with your objectives.   6 mission pilots, 4 observers, 3 GTL's, 8 GTM's, 1 safety officer, 1 cadet leadership officer etc. That way as we recruit we know who we need to be looking for.   This allows us to fill deficiencies faster and will help keep away problems of over recruitment (20 pilots, one airplane, 6 missions per year for the unit - do the math).

Give us a call flapsUP or better yet, venture over to Iowa for one of our WTA's.  You will like what you see.

[flapsUP]

Thanks.  You guys really are on the cutting edge. A lean, mean, well trained mission ready CAP.  Anyone want to make book as to how long Iowa will operate before NHQ or the USAF shuts it down.  Too creative, too much success,  too much spotlight.  You're in an organization where mediocraty rules. 

We need to wake up. We worry more about our clothing than our mission. CAP is about to die and we're going to let it happen if we don't do something about it. Look at the numbers. 50,000 members out of 300,000,000 population.  There are TEN TIMES more jrotc members than CAP senior and cadet's combined.

Someone needs to Search and Rescue CAP and I hope Iowa gets the mission. 

[cyclone]

FlapsUP, thanks for the kind words about Iowa.   Iowa is doing all of this within CAP regs.   We don't have any magical supplements or anything, we are carrying everything out within the scope of it all.

We fought many of the same battles in Iowa that we discuss today on CAPTALK three years ago when this journey began.   The naysayers screamed, and clawed, and punched, and kicked, but in the end many of them realized it could be done and was the best thing for Iowa CAP.   

I don't think that NHQ, the Air Force, or anyone is short sighted enough to shut down something that is successful.   They all have legitimate questions that we've happily answered and they have been pleasantly surprised.  We passed the litmus test of the Air Force Staff Assistance Visit  during this time.  We've still continued to do SUI's of our units and tried to do our due diligence to keep everything within the scope of our regs and legislation.

What we have done has been a long, planned, painful process of relationship building, professional development, and planned improvement.   I doubt that any other Wing would ever go through this all quite like we did, and since Iowa has survived it we are more than happy to explain how to make it happen with as little turmoil as possible.

The biggest deterrant was pointless bickering.  How and why so many in CAP will fight to the death over an item on a uniform but won't lift a finger to better improve our readiness is astonishing.   Communication and relationships are what an improved CAP are all about.  Hopefully CAP will improve as a whole and we can serve America better, but it is going to take a lot of frank discussions to get us there.     

[cyclone]

Yawn <stretching>

[cyclone]

Iowa Wing's Emergency Services Academy is coming up at our February and March WTA's (last weekends in Feb / Mar). 

We will be doing classroom and field training in the following specialties:

GTM
GTL
MRO
FLM
MS
MO
MP

If anyone would like to attend... ?  We will put you up in our barracks and feed you.  Just figure out how to get here (Des Moines, Iowa <not to be confused with Idaho>).

Also, we are always trying to improve our curriculum for this training.   If you have any good stuff for students beyond the National Boiler Plate material please PM me as we are always looking for better stuff.

[mikeylikey]

So from what I have read and seen on the Iowa webpage, you guys are selectively recruiting.  Have you turned anyone away from joining because they don't fit a skill set you are in need of?

[cyclone]

We really have not had to formally "turn away" anyone.   During our recruitment we are honest about the time and financial commitment joining is.  We also explain what we expect of an officer to do.   The people that offer little and wouldn't really do anything anyway walk away.

Our recruitment has been such that we haven't had to worry about turning many away due to skill.  This current OTS class is almost half pilots and they hail from areas where we need more pilots and aircrews to do the missions.  The other half all possess various skills and desires to help bolster operations in their areas for when they will graduate.

[Chief Chiafos]

Selective recruiting is the salvation of CAP.  The any-moron-can-join recruiting policy has been the kiss of death for CAP.  It has flooded the organization with high maintenance wannabe do nothings, who look like hell in a uniform, and are the root cause of our image problems with the Air Force and the greater public.  Don't let them in and get them out the back door as quickly as possible!

[Guardrail]

Does anyone here know a lot about the Iowa Wing OTS program?  I've been meaning to check that out but didn't know where to start until now. 

I'm in favor of a national OTS program for all wings, to either replace Level I or incoporate it into the OTS curriculum. 

[TankerT]

Selective recruiting is the salvation of CAP.  The any-moron-can-join recruiting policy has been the kiss of death for CAP.  It has flooded the organization with high maintenance wannabe do nothings, who look like hell in a uniform, and are the root cause of our image problems with the Air Force and the greater public.  Don't let them in and get them out the back door as quickly as possible!

Well.  It is a double edged sword.  We would need a better policy overall to help support our selection/rejection process.  And, it would be hard to ensure that it meets all state laws.  (Face it... you get more "selective" you get lawsuits... and can we afford that press?)

And, selective recruiting is also subjective recruiting many times.  Some of the biggest pains I have met are the people that you would think would make great CAP members.  (Retired Senior Officer/NCO... graduate degree... etc...)

But... yeah... we do need to have better quality control. 

Problem is... to implement a good selective recruiting program... you need quality people that are willing to say no involved... that are aware of the current legal situation for your area.

And, in my area... it's hard to say no unless they have a criminal record without being sued successfully.

Not to say I haven't successfully been able to talk some bad apples out of joining by selling them on the "true cost" or "massive amounts of work required" angles.

[TankerT]

Does anyone here know a lot about the Iowa Wing OTS program?  I've been meaning to check that out but didn't know where to start until now. 

I'm in favor of a national OTS program for all wings, to either replace Level I or incoporate it into the OTS curriculum. 

They put out bullitens and post stuff on the web for the general concepts.  And they've put stuff out on boards that you can read.  You can get a good idea.

It sounds like a great program.  I see problems implementing it nationwide for various factors as is. 

I think my wing would have a hard time implementing it due to our geography and the facilities available.