Make Every Dollar Count campaign sparks cost-saving ideas

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Aja Heiden
  • 482nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, Fla. --  Cutting costs while maintaining a battle-ready force is a priority for the Air Force, and the Make Every Dollar Count campaign recently launched has cost-saving initiatives here on the forefront.

This commitment is a result of the success experienced with Every Dollar Counts campaign launched in 2013. The goal is to ensure that every dollar the Air Force spends is a dollar of added value to the taxpayers.

Airmen Powered by Innovation was designed to be an enduring program aimed at eliminating redundancies in existing programs and continues to provide an outlet for Airmen's ideas to be heard, tested, and implemented.

This API program combines and streamlines the process of three legacy programs: Innovative Development through Employee Awareness, Productive Enhancing Capital Investment, and Best Practices. Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century will remain as an enabler and assist in the process of implementation development and potential replication efforts, according to the Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs.

"This initiative will allow the United States to have the military force it needs to protect its nation," said Maj. Darryl G. Mclean, 482nd Fighter Wing comptroller. "It will also permit that force to have the best equipment possible to protect the country from harm."

Homestead Air Reserve Base has already implemented many useful money saving actions.

"The command building has sensors throughout it to cut off lights that are unnecessary when no one is using them," explained Mclean. "This is done by movement sensors."

Turning recycled trash into profit is another cost-savings initiative implemented here.

"Homestead also has a great recycle program that the base actually makes money from," said Mclean. "That money is turned back into the base to either improve base standards or fund Morale, Welfare and Recreation activities so our Airmen can have some much needed time to relax and unwind."

In compliance with efforts to reduce operating costs here, Henry Burgains, 482nd FW contracting chief, also works to add value and cut costs.

"My job is to save the military money by getting low costs, such as the purchase of the sunshades on the flight line. We get the minimum costs and that goes toward the added value of each dollar," Burgains said.

Being cost-efficient benefits every Airman and the taxpayers.

"Fortunately this initiative may have the direct result of permitting the Airman working beside you to continue to work there. We want to make initiatives and decisions that not only permit Homestead to provide the product we have in the past, but also prove we are good stewards with the tax payer dollars we were given to use in the endeavor," Mclean said.

Airmen wishing to evoke change and assist in the initiative can submit ideas to API at https://ipds.afpc.randolph.af.mil.

"We need to show the taxpayers, as the Reserves always have, that we are the best at providing a proven combat force at the lowest cost to this nation," said Mclean.