JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
When called upon, the U.S. Air Force and the air power it employs can reach the far edges of the globe within days. Many know the aircraft that reach those edges, but may not realize what happens in the background to ensure they are mission ready.
The Airmen assigned to the 735th Supply Chain Operations Group at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, are responsible for ensuring the fighter, bomber and special mission aircraft are able to answer America's call.
"The mission of the 735th SCOG is [to be] the first responders for the Air Force supply chain," said Col. Eric Ellmyer, commander of the 735th SCOG. "When a Mission Impaired Capability Awaiting Parts (MICAP) happens and an aircraft needs a part as quickly as possible, that's our emergency situation, especially for aircraft that are downrange. But on the other hand, we're also like Walmart in the fact that we keep
shelves stocked with airplane parts all the way to vehicles."
The 735th SCOG handles approximately $35 billion worth of supplies and equipment per year with 3.6 million transactions a month.
"These Airmen do a lot of great work to get the parts where they need to go," said Ellmyer. "[They] have the ability to look into the entire stock of the Air Force and choose the best method of shipping and pulling parts based on location and timeframe of delivery."
In the early 1990's, the Air Force utilized approximately 15 squadrons to supply bases world-wide, but as time and technology advanced, the Air Force centralized the supply chain into the 635th Supply Chain Operations Wing, which consist of the 635th SCOG and the 735th SCOG, making the process of ordering and transporting parts and equipment simpler, said Ellmyer.
According to Ellmyer, the centralization has enabled the 735th SCOG to raise their success rate to 90 percent by producing more reliable information.
"The most important thing for the future of the 735th SCOG is the accuracy of information," said Ellmyer. "We're good at moving things around but if the information is more accurate, the trust with the units is built and the repair will happen more effectively and more efficiently."
Improving the reliability of information is one aspect that the 735th SCOG looks for in the future along with experience, training and education.
"The 735th SCOG is focused on experience, training and education to improve the future for our Airmen," said Ellmyer. "Education is our main focus and that's to show the Airmen the various impacts within a supply chain and how important the passing of information from one person to another is, and the various impacts of the different echelons that provide that information to the user."