Military Personnel Element receives PECI funding

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Dillon White
  • 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs Office
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  The staff members of the Military Personnel Element are working at new desks and sitting in new chairs purchased with nearly $108,000 provided by the Productivity Enhancing Capital Investment Program. 

The MPE applied for the funding due to scheduled cuts of three military positions. In return for letting three Airmen move on to new assignments two years early, PECI funding for new equipment was a possibility, said Ed Lara, 341st Force Support Squadron management analyst. 

"We were going to lose the positions and funding two years from now anyway," Mr. Lara said. "We proposed that the positions go unfunded now, and PECI give us money to buy new equipment, so we got something back." 

The new office furniture, which is expected to last 10 years, creates a more professional environment with a roomy layout which will increase customer service, he said.
The Airmen who work in the MPE agree. 

"The work environment is very different because of the added space," said Airman 1st Class Timaria McKay, 341st FSS personnelist. "I feel more professional because I have enough drawers to store my information; it is all within reach and my customers have nice comfortable seats to sit in when I'm giving them their initial briefing, out processing or they are just asking a question." 

Airman McKay also said he has a wingman right across from his desk to ask questions if needed thanks to the new layout. 

The layout of desks and equipment is important. Everything should be accessible, Mr. Lara said. 

"If you work in a hangar, you don't want your tools 200 yards away," Mr. Lara said. "This is a win-win situation, because personnel get new equipment, and customers have a nice, clean area to come to." 

For more information on the PECI Program, call Ed Lara at 731-4708.