Global Strike Commander: 'Strike Now' with good ideas Published July 20, 2011 Air Force Global Strike Command Public Affairs BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- The commander of Air Force Global Strike Command is offering a new way for Airmen to bring their good ideas directly to top leaders' attention: it's called 'Strike Now!' Lt. Gen. Jim Kowalski said Strike Now will allow the command's Airmen to "be able to tell us directly where improvements can be made without needless roadblocks and bureaucracy." Barksdale's 2d Bomb Wing is serving as the test wing for later command-wide implementation of the concept. "If Airmen have thought of a better way to do their jobs, we want them to tell their leadership, but here at the headquarters we also want to hear about it. Strike Now provides a process to give ideas more attention at all levels and to allow us to track them to a conclusion. This puts discipline in our suggestion process and allows us to build a culture that seeks to be 'faster-better-cheaper,'" said the General. "Don't be bashful, put in the idea--and Strike Now!" "This is a great way of obtaining valuable insight from the people who really know what they're talking about--the Airmen and civilians who do the job," said Pete Ellis, director of the Global Strike Command Smart Operations Division. "In the current environment, we must listen to our people's good ideas," Ellis said. "While doing everything we can to save taxpayers hard-earned dollars, we will also be strengthening the nuclear enterprise." Both attributed and anonymous submissions will be accepted, he said. The Strike Now initiative is complementary to the Air Force's long-running Innovative Development through Employee Awareness--commonly called the IDEA program, he said. Airmen will receive command recognition for approved, innovative ideas, and may be encouraged to submit to the Air Force IDEA program if appropriate, he said. The IDEA program offers both non-monetary and monetary awards. Each idea will be reviewed by headquarters staff officers at the directorate level, who are expected to recommend how an idea can be supported, rather than defaulting to a "no, because," answer, Ellis said. Soon Airmen will be able to log on to a simple database to see what improvements have already been suggested, Ellis said. The first step is to "put that great idea into writing" via the Global Strike Command Smart Ops site at afgsc-p.eis.af.mil/es/directorates/AFSO21/default.aspx Ellis said.