Don't Waste My Time: Improving the MAF After-Action Report

Many organizations utilize AARs to help build institutional memory of strengths and weaknesses from events. Mobility Air Force units constantly write AARs. Anecdotal evidence suggests an inadequate AAR process. Failures continually repeated over time. A lack of standardization idoes not allow for an analysis of trends. This paper consolidates previous research to create an AAR process framework. The paper then uses interviews to measure the MAF AAR process against the framework. The paper confirms an inadaquate AAR process and recommends adapting the AAR framework and immediately standardizing AARs tied to a database to quickly solve some serious issues in the process.