General discusses scientist, engineer management

1/17/2003 - EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) -- Lt. Gen. Stephen B. Plummer briefed scientists and engineers here Jan. 14 on his effort to find better ways to manage their career field.

Plummer serves as the functional manager for scientists and engineers and is the principal deputy of the office of the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition.

"We have had a real problem with the retention and recruiting of the scientific and engineering workforce," said Plummer. "We're undermanned in both the military and civilian side, and we're trying to address these issues so that they won't manifest themselves in the products that are produced in the Air Force."

According to Plummer, the Air Force realizes the importance of these issues and cannot afford to ignore them.

"We are a very highly technological force, and we've had incredible success applying warfighting capabilities when our nation has needed it over the past decade," said Plummer. "But that technology only comes from sowing the seeds of experimental research done decades ago, and our scientists and engineers are very much responsible for developing those capabilities."

It is critical for Air Force Materiel Command and Edwards officials to address these scientific and engineering issues, said Les Bordelon, executive director of the Air Force Flight Test Center here, who attended Plummer's briefing.

"If you look at AFMC with the acquisition business that we have, the science and engineering workforce is our life-blood," said Bordelon. "So it is very important in this command and especially here at the flight test center, to have the appropriate science and engineering workforce in order to accomplish our mission."

The first step in rectifying the problem was to assign the scientist and engineering community a functional manager.

"Before December 2001, scientists and engineers were the only career field in the Air Force that did not have a functional manager," said Plummer. "So I was assigned to be their functional manager and along with my staff in Washington, D.C. We're addressing the issues that the scientific and engineering community have and working to get the legislation and funding that we need."

Plummer said that he wanted to personally speak with the scientists and engineers so that they would know that someone back in Washington is paying close attention to their concerns.

"When I became functional manager, I thought it would be very important to go out and meet face to face with our scientists and engineers to tell them what we're doing for them," said Plummer. "Since we began these presentations, I've spoken to more than 7,000 scientists and engineers."

According to Plummer, many initiatives are being taken to create a better work environment.

"One of my favorite initiatives is that we're targeting juniors and seniors in college who are pursuing technical degrees, but who still haven't decided exactly what it is that they want to do," said Plummer. "So we're offering them the opportunity to earn a salary of $33,000 a year while they go to school to complete their technical degree. Then they come to work for us."

Although financial issues are important to scientists and engineers, they seem to be equally concerned with having a job that uses all of their skills, said Plummer.

"I've talked to many scientists and engineers and invariably what I get from them is: 'I want to know that all of my education, training and experience is being used to the maximum extent possible ...'" said Plummer. "And I think that is great because it only adds value to the Air Force."

Along with these new initiatives, Plummer wanted to let scientists and engineers know that Air Force leaders are grateful for all of their contributions.

"Everywhere I go, I always try to make sure that people within our scientist and engineering community know how much we appreciate and value what they do for us," said Plummer. "We can not accomplish our mission without them."