AFMC announces Robert T. Mason Award nominees Published June 29, 2010 Air Force Materiel Command Public Affairs Report WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio -- Air Force Materiel Command has designated its three Air Logistics Centers' depot maintenance wings as nominees to compete in the annual Robert T. Mason Award for Depot Maintenance Excellence. The Robert T. Mason Award is sponsored by the Secretary of Defense and is presented to the outstanding program from a major Air Force, Army, Navy or Marine Corps organic depot-level maintenance facility that exemplifies responsive, transformed, depot-level maintenance support to Department of Defense operating units. Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., nominated the 76th Maintenance Wing; Ogden Air Logistics Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, nominated the Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Propulsion Replacement Program; and Warner-Robins Air Logistics Center, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., nominated the C-130 Gunship Production Team for this prestigious award. The 76 MXW is located at Tinker AFB, which serves as Oklahoma's largest single-site employer, contributing more than $2.9 billion annually to the state's economy and employing 27,000 military and civilian personnel. Integral to the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center's mission, the 76 MXW is the largest industrial complex in the Air Force, performing programmed depot maintenance on four aircraft systems, phased maintenance on Navy E-6 aircraft and maintenance repair and overhaul of seven engines for the Air Force, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard, Navy and foreign military sales to allies. Among its many accomplishments, the ALC quality standard met and exceeded those of industry and was the first Air Force installation to achieve the International Standardization for Organization AS9110 standard for Aerospace maintenance repair and overhaul facilities. The Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile makes up an integral part of the United States' Nuclear Triad. Located at Hill AFB, Ogden Air Logistics Center employs more than 180 maintenance personnel that support this ICBM effort -- 82 government civilians work in direct support of the Propulsion Replacement Program in the munitions storage area, and more than 100 other technicians and support personnel work and manage the $2.6 billion program. The PRP team delivered 42 Minuteman III refurbished boosters to the three Air Force operational intercontinental ballistic missile wings, ensuring the United States has a viable ICBM fleet through the year 2020 and beyond to support the nuclear triad and the defense of the nation. As part of the 560th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Robins AFB, the C-130 Gunship Production Team demonstrated outstanding mission support for Air Force Special Operations Command AC-130H and AC-130U Gunship Mission Design Series aircraft operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Through collaborative efforts, the 560 AMXS team developed standard work processes, optimized and prioritized schedules, and compressed production time on key inspections and repairs, resulting in 88 additional days of C-130 gunship mission availability for joint operational support. With a program budget approaching $200 million, 560 AMXS is a major part of the Air Force's depot repair infrastructure and serves a vital role in sustaining the full range of C-130 aircraft, employing approximately 1,000 skilled direct labor technicians performing more than one million man-hours of production work annually. The Robert T. Mason Award for Depot Maintenance Excellence -- along with the Phoenix Trophy, DOD's highest award for field-level maintenance -- will be presented on November 17, 2010, at the Secretary of Defense Maintenance Awards Banquet, held during the 2010 Department of Defense Maintenance Symposium and Exhibition in Tampa, Fla.