A Review of Air Force Readiness: A Focus on Human Capital Management

Abstract

This report is a review of Air Force Readiness with a focus on human capital management and individual needs and desires. We define what Air Force Readiness is and identify tensions between meeting mission requirements and supporting the needs of individuals. This report compares the Air Force and industry approaches to readiness. We investigated these topics by reviewing academic research, interviewing Air Force and industry leaders, and hosting a focus group with Air Force MBA students. Our data collection process offered several major findings regarding Air Force Readiness. First, there are issues with how readiness is understood by personnel based on their level of experience and longevity. Readiness culture in the Air Force is fragmented, with its personnel not adopting a warfighter mindset. We found that many seem to lack resiliency, tactical competence, and physical and mental fitness. We learned that the industry equivalent to readiness is organizational agility, their ability to respond to problems and priorities, and meeting organizational objectives effectively. These terminologies and practices are not foreign to the Air Force, but what differs is how we implement and understand them, which creates constraints in adopting industry best practices. These major findings were used to develop three courses of actions—Minimum Viable Products (MVPs)—as potential solutions to limiting factors affecting Air Force Readiness