JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
Team Andrews members from the 11th Logistics Readiness Squadron answered the call to innovate as the Air Force faces a slashed budget this year.
Thomas Main, 11th LRS Deputy Chief; 2nd Lt. Luke Muldoon, Deployment and Distribution Flight Commander; Master Sgt. Ted Vandenbrink, Vehicle Management Superintendent; and Tech. Sgt. Moreed Kamal II, Vehicle Operation Control Center supervisor; realized Andrews could save more than $10,000 per year by changing the way they acquired cars used to transport distinguished visitors.
By leasing less expensive vehicles through the General Services Agency versus paying for commercial leases through local dealerships, annual lease costs were reduced by almost 50 percent.
This idea not only saved money at Andrews, but caught the attention of the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Larry Spencer, who is heading up the "Every Dollar Counts" campaign, an effort to unleash and harness the creativity of Airmen to help lessen the financial impact caused by sequestration.
"I am so proud of all the hard work you're all doing," said Spencer as he handed each a coin during a ceremony June 6, at the LRS vehicle operations center. "It's great ideas like this that we need to implement Air Force wide."
Spencer said this and similar ideas could have exponential savings that would free up funding for higher readiness priorities, such as squeezing in extra flying hours and getting more aircraft and engines into depots for overhaul and repairs.
"Sequestration has definitely made it harder to accomplish the mission, but we have been thinking of ways to make it happen on a smaller budget," said Main. "Knowing our Airmen made a difference during these challenging times is a great feeling. Working with them is what keeps me coming back to work every day."
Kamal said the collaborative effort between the four Airmen was nothing more than common sense.
"The cars we will acquire through the GSA leases will do the same things that the more expensive cars did," he said. "They also have the added benefit of costing less. At the end of the day, isn't that what we're trying to accomplish?"