SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Aerial refueling takes place in the sky, but like any successful operation that mission starts from the ground.
The 126th Logistics Readiness Squadron, assigned to the Illinois Air National Guard’s 126th Air Refueling Wing at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, plays a key role in ensuring the readiness of the wing’s KC-135 Stratotankers and its overall mission.
The squadron consists of four distinct parts: material management, deployment distributions, vehicle management and fuels. Within the material management flight lies a uniquely separated unit located in the hanger known as the 126th Maintenance Supply Support.
This is a section that can quickly order parts upon maintainers requests with the help of a supply chain operations squadron.
“LRS supplies direct support for maintenance and makes sure they get the parts in a timely manner,” said Lt. Col. Brad Kahrhoff, the 126th Logistics Readiness Squadron commander. “We work with the supply chain operations squadron on the other side of base to get those parts to them as quickly as possible.”
From the tiniest bolts to tires and radars, they work fast to order and receive necessary parts to meet mission ready requirements.
Master Sgt. Justin Theissen, the 126th Maintenance Supply Support supervisor, discusses the process of ordering a necessary product.
“The maintainer requesting an item will sit down at my Airman's desk and they will begin to research the item in need,” said Theissen. “Next, we start our conversation with the supply chain.”
Not all requests can be found at the wing’s warehouse. In this case the squadron will search for the product on other military bases. It is up to the Airman to use their critical thinking skills in determining which location to source their asset from.
“The supply chain operations squadron may resource something from the east coast and my guys will do the extra leg work and say, ‘Maybe there's an asset on the west coast,’ so that we can catch them before the end of their duty day,” said Kahrhoff. “That’s how they work those background pieces and with those support agencies outside of our wing.”
Once the product is delivered, traffic management operations will receive it and deliver it to maintenance.
“Until our product is on the FedEx truck, we’re calling everyone,” said Theissen. “After the assets get put on the truck, we track it aggressively. That’s a degree of proactivity that isn’t common in logistics and I think that’s one of the major things that sets us apart.”
All Airmen of the 126th Logistics Readiness Squadron play a key role in supporting and maintaining their proficiency and readiness.
“We can order parts the fastest, deliver fuel to the aircraft the quickest or repair a vehicle the quickest, but, really, it all boils down to the culture,” said Theissen.
“We’re a proactive organization and we’re passionate, and there’s a great sense of teamwork here.” In 2021 the squadron was awarded the Air Reserve Component Base Logistics Activity of the Year Award for their outstanding work in the unit and their contribution to the success of the Air Force and Department of Defense missions.
“We won at both the Guard Bureau and the Headquarters Air Force level,” said Kahrhoff. “It’s just a testament to what my Airmen do day in and day out. Not what I do. It’s them and how they execute on a day-to-day basis, and to be highlighted is something I'm proud of.”
The 126th Logistics Readiness Squadron is a crucial component to the wing’s mission readiness and plays a vital role in the wing’s highly recognized mission capability rating.
“We’re a beacon of excellence when it comes to the logistics community and we have the best supply rate in the KC-135 fleet," said Theissen. “And we’re all trying to accomplish the same goal — get our planes in the sky.”
| Date Taken: | 04.02.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 05.03.2023 10:45 |
| Story ID: | 442185 |
| Location: | SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 44 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 126th LRS part of Maintenance Success, by MSgt Brian Ellison, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
