The 21st annual Tinker and the Primes Conference, held in Midwest City from Aug. 4-6, addressed legacy and next-generation sustainment needs. Hosted by the Midwest City Chamber of Commerce, the conference served as a forum for government and industry leaders to discuss current and future requirements to sustain America's air power advantage.
Undersecretary of the Air Force Matt Lohmeier delivered a keynote address regarding the necessity for the Air Force to rapidly increase capacity and recapitalize. Lohmeier noted that the force and fleet are wearing out faster than they can be replaced. He suggested that committing to multi-year contracts with long-term funding could provide a steady demand signal to industry partners, helping to increase investment, capacity, and supply chain resilience. Such stability could allow industry to invest in new factories and sub-tier suppliers to address bottlenecks and attract a skilled workforce.
As the Air Force prepares to field sixth-generation platforms like the F-47 and the B-21, leaders discussed operational sustainment. Brig. Gen. Lindsay Droz, commander of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex (OC-ALC), spoke about sustaining an aging fleet while preparing for new systems. Droz highlighted the implementation of Forward Air Logistics Complex Operational Nodes, or FALCON, which aims to bring depot-level maintenance closer to operational needs to return parts to the warfighter faster.
Col. Cisco Harris, the 72nd Air Base Wing and Tinker installation commander, discussed the importance of the workforce and the connection between Oklahoma and national defense. Harris noted that the Air Force is building a multigenerational workforce of both blue-collar and white-collar professionals through collaborations with local colleges and trade schools.
This recruitment effort has seen recent results, including an Air Force Sustainment Center Tinker Civilian Hiring Event that received over 4,000 applications. Harris emphasized that the outcome of future conflicts depends on what is forged today, rather than waiting for a crisis to optimize industrial rails.
The conference theme, Resilient by Design, Pride for Readiness, underscored the inseparable alliance between government and industry in national defense.
