What is C3?

  • Published
  • By Airman Jessica Keith
  • 17th Training Wing Public Affairs
GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Cost Conscious Culture, C3, is an Air Force wide initiative meant to create a culture of awareness and savings during this financially uncertain time.

The program is centered on cost savings and cost avoidance. In 2011, faced with current and future budget constraints, Gen. Edward A. Rice Jr., Commander of Air Education and Training Command, identified the need to develop a cost conscious culture throughout the command to achieve savings. A cost-conscious culture focuses on achieving savings at all levels. If each Air Education and Training Command Airman saves just $3 per day, the command can save $37 million in one year.

"Cost savings means shopping around and finding the best price on a project," said Col. Paul Bugenske, 17th Mission Support Group Commander. "It means we are still spending money, just not as much. When it comes to cost avoidance, we look for ways to avoid spending money, such as furbishing a new building with furniture we already have, but may not be using. In the long run, we save more money this way."

What one would think of as "savings" the program describes as "earnings." The program doesn't actually provide any extra income, but the funds become available for spending on other mission essential initiatives. This increases a wing's spending power without increasing its budget.

"The main objective of C3 is for everyone to make an effort to cut back on spending and work on ways to avoid spending when not necessary," said Master Sgt. Lori Mailloux, 17th Training Wing Knowledge Operations superintendent. "We have to analyze our spending to avoid unnecessary expenditures, so each base can do its part to drive down mission costs. We have to find ways to do more with less."

C3 cost savings can be large or small and still have an impact. Each of the base's training groups have made significant contributions to the 17th TRW's outstanding "earnings."

Some of the contributions include the 17th Force Support Squadron who went from using four fluorescent light bulbs to two throughout the squadron. The 17th Security Forces Squadron installed an energy efficient solar roof. The 17th Communications Squadron identified and canceled the service of 20 unused cell phones across the base. Additional initiatives throughout the base currently cut tens of thousands of dollars per month.

This is a program every Airman can help support, even something as small as reviewing a document on the computer instead of printing it or turning off a light when leaving a room makes a big difference in the end.

For more information call Master Sgt. Lori Mailloux at 325-654-4021.