JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
With two separate attempts to enter military installations from unauthorized members last month, the after action reports that followed were disseminated down through the ranks and in some way reached every servicemember. The reports not only notified all members of the attempts and the possible threat in the future, but also provided members with a vital reminder - to remain vigilant.
AARs continue to serve as eye-opening reports on what members have done during real life events or exercises, and what they could possibly do to be better prepared in the future.
"When properly utilized, AARs are a great resource to measure a unit's state of readiness," said Randy Sena, 316th Wing exercises and evaluations section chief. "AARs shouldn't be scanned through to see whether or not a unit is mentioned, but should be read entirely. They can be used to correct mistakes."
The concept of an encompassing report following any activity is used throughout the military by different organizations including first sergeants, who file trip reports that serve similar purposes as AARs.
"In the first sergeant's realm of responsibility, we have what we call 'trip reports,'" said Master Sgt. Phillip Monk, 316th Comptroller Squadron first sergeant. "When we come back from a deployment or overseas station, we do a trip report - kind of like an AAR. Basically, we outline all the challenges that we faced, the ways that we faced those challenges and the expected challenges ahead."
If executed correctly, AARs, like trip reports, provide command with insight into what Airmen participating in events and exercises learn and what they excel at.
"AARs after an exercise [or event] are useful to hash out some of the good aspects that may have come out as well as some of the things that could have been done better," Sergeant Monk said. "It gives an opportunity to reflect and correct some things that may not have been [executed] well. It can also serve as a document that can always be referred back to, to assess how [personnel] are doing or when setting goals for the future."
AARs are not avenues for general suggestions, however, unless they relate to that specific exercise or event.
"If an Airman wanted to make a suggestion about a process, the manpower office of the 316th Force Support Squadron runs a suggestion program," Mr. Sena said.
When it comes to writing AARs, the best suggestion anyone can receive is to read up on what is required before any event or exercise occurs so that members are aware of the information that they will need for their report.
"Read them to write them and get someone to edit them," Mr. Sena said.
Whether it is the knowledge of how to better secure a crowd of more than two hundred thousand visitors attending an air show, or that today's potential threats to our military installations may come from unlikely sources, all lessons learned through the experiences shared by AARs serve to benefit Airmen in the future and remind them to maintain their attention to detail and situational awareness.