BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- Air Force Global Strike Command members from the Studies, Assessments, Analysis and Lessons Learned Directorate and the Data Analytics Collaboration Cell executed their first field test of the 13N Force Assessment Scheduling Tool, or FAST, at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, Aug. 15-17. Operators and support personnel from the 90th Operations Group collaborated with programmers and analysts from AFGSC Headquarters to ensure the program met rigorous standards for operational needs.
FAST produces operational schedules and assists in talent management of the 13N career field, the Air Force Specialty Code for nuclear and missile operations officers. Within AFGSC, these specialized officers are responsible for the command, control, and communication of the nation’s three intercontinental ballistic missile systems located at the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming; the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom AFB, Montana; and the 91st Missile Wing at Minot AFB, North Dakota.
For decades, missileers have used spreadsheets and localized tracking systems to maintain their schedules. This labor-intensive process lacked standardization and consumed hours that could otherwise have been used for training or readiness – before FAST, scheduling a month’s worth of data could take days, if not weeks, to process. Once operational, AFGSC analysts expect the new tool will save thousands of man-hours per month for each wing.
FAST is hosted in Envision, a single-source, customizable data platform capable of accessing more than 100 Air Force data systems. While currently programmed for 13N operational requirements, FAST can be reprogramed and used to support scheduling requirements for other career fields.
Col. Jared Nelson, commander of the 90th Operations Group at F.E. Warren AFB, was enthusiastic about the capabilities and efficiency brought by the FAST tool. “I am all in!” he said.
The analytically-informed and timely decision-making enabled by the FAST program supports Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr.’s strategic approach for the service, Accelerate Change or Lose, and his charge to streamline decision-making, reduce redundancies, and limit bureaucratic layers—an effort Brown refers to as “Action Order B.”
“ combination of commanders, operators and operations analysts, working together, and providing an Observe, Orient, Decide, Act four-step decision-making approach of feedback can be a powerful tool,” Brown previously stated in a May 2021 letter, where he offered guidance on his priorities to the Director for Studies and Analysis, Mr. Rowayne A. “Wayne” Schatz, Jr.
With FAST, analysts and warfighters are joining forces in ways this generation of Airmen have never seen, delivering on Brown’s direction.
FAST will translate talent management strategies into deliberate and intentional steps by both operators and their commanders. Not only will it assist with day-to-day shift scheduling, but it will also provide a long-term career planning tool to enhance ICBM talent management by articulating core values across the 13N career field while developing its officer core. In the past, and in part today, guidance of an officer’s career rested on mentorship by their commander, based on the commander’s personal experiences. With the implementation of FAST, those in the 13N career field can expect a deliberate, continuous approach to operational scheduling and talent management.
FAST’s initial fielding is projected to begin at all AFGSC ICBM wings by the end of the year.