AFDW members part of Air Force award-winning team Published July 13, 2011 By Tech. Sgt. Chyenne A. Adams AFDW Public Affairs WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The winner of the 2011 George C. Kenney Award for Lessons Learned has been named, and includes several Air Force District of Washington members. The Kenney award is presented annually by the Air Force lessons learned community and the Air Force Association for the most significant contribution to the Air Force by an individual or team in the lessons learned area. The Air Force Fort Hood Follow-On Review Team included military and civilian members from every Air Force major command. The AFDW team was led by Steve Doss, and included Col. June Gavron, Col. David Timm, Col. Brian Bellacicco, Col. Wally Vaughn, Ryan Ferrell, Wanda Jones-Heath, and Marsha Johnson. "Though these folks made up the AFDW team, there were many people within the command involved," said Doss, AFDW Operations, Plans and Requirements deputy director. "This was a total AFDW effort and no one complained from day one. Everyone was fully on board with this high priority tasking and supported the high ops tempo of the effort." The Air Force team conducted an in-depth review of Air Force policies, programs, procedures and practices to identify and resolve vulnerabilities to the health and safety of Air Force personnel, other supported personnel and their families. This review included assessments of information sharing practices, training, threat recognition, force protection, and mass casualty response and recovery. They evaluated inputs from more than 2,000 MAJCOM and direct reporting unit commanders and civilian directors and submitted feedback to the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The importance of this review has implications across the Department of Defense, according to Doss. "This effort has put the Air Force in a very good position to detect and prevent active-shooter type events now and in the future," he said. The team identified 120 key findings and recommendations that will have an impact for years to come. Doss said some of their work has already had an immediate impact on AFDW installations. "One of the findings that greatly concerned us was the lack of a DOD policy for privately-owned firearms," he said. "When it was identified that Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling and Joint Base Andrews were two bases severely deficient in firearms storage, the command was able to secure funding to resolve the issue." Other findings included the inability of various installations across DOD to see each other's vehicle registration systems, and the lack of a mass notification and accountability system. Long hours were put in by those involved to ensure the timeline was met for this key project. "From our first video teleconference February 4, to our final draft report May 15, we kept a very aggressive timeline," said Doss. "Col. (Phillip) Gibbons (AFDW vice commander) helped prioritize our efforts and get the answers to the Air Force team quickly. From there, the Air Force team really helped drive the direction for OSD decisions, as the Air Force inputs were many and on target." The team leader said sometimes they had less than 48 hours to answer suspenses, but everyone working the effort stayed focused and on track. "This is hands down the best team I've ever worked with," he said. "This prestigious award is fitting recognition of your tremendous dedication in support of the Air Force follow-on review team, led by Gen. Stephen Lorenz (former Air Education and Training Command commander)," said Maj. Gen. Sharon Dunbar, Headquarters Air Force director of Force Management Policy, in an announcement to all team members. "You should be very proud that your contributions will better prepare our Air Force to ensure the safety and security of our Airmen and their families." The award will be presented at the 2011 Air and Space Conference at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, National Harbor, Md. in September.