Risk Management Principles

Risk Management Principles — Four Cornerstones

Foundation

4 RM Principles Foundation

Four principles govern all actions associated with risk management.

Universal Application

RM Universal Application

These principles are the cornerstones of effective risk management and are applicable:

24-hours a day
7-days a week
365-days a year
By all personnel
For all on- and off-duty activities

Four RM Principles

4 RM Principles.

Accept No Unnecessary Risk
Make Risk Decisions at the Appropriate Level
Integrate Risk Management into Operations and Planning at All Levels
Apply the Risk Management Process Cyclically and Continuously

Accept No Unnecessary Risk

All DAF missions and daily routines involve risk. However, unnecessary risk comes WITHOUT a commensurate return in terms of real benefits or available opportunities.

Logical Choice

The most logical choices or actions are those that:

Meet all mission requirements
Expose personnel and resources to the LOWEST acceptable risk possible

Not Risk Averse

With this in mind, we cannot and should not be completely risk averse.

High Risk Endeavors

Even high risk endeavors may be undertaken when there is a well-founded basis to believe that:

- The sum of the benefits exceeds the sum of the costs

Subjective Process

Balancing benefits and costs are a subjective process and tied intimately with the factors affecting the mission or activity.

Engage Experienced Personnel

Personnel with prior knowledge and experience of a mission or activity must be engaged whenever possible in making risk decisions to ensure a proper balance is achieved.

Make Risk Decisions at the Appropriate Level

Make Risk at Appropriate Level

Although anyone can make a risk decision that impacts their personal well-being, some risk acceptance decisions must be made by an appropriate decision-making authority to:

Effectively allocate resources
Implement controls to mitigate or eliminate risks associated with an activity

Clear Accountability

Making risk decisions at the appropriate level also establishes clear accountability.

Leader Awareness

Leaders and individuals must be aware of:

How much risk they can accept
When to elevate risk management decisions to a higher level

Decision Engagement

Those accountable for the success or failure of a mission or activity must be fully engaged in the risk decision process.

Integrate Risk Management into Operations and Planning at All Levels

Integrate RM

Integrate risk management into planning at all levels and AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE.

Why Early Integration

This provides the greatest opportunity to:

Make informed risk decisions
Implement effective risk controls

Time + Resources Required

To effectively apply risk management, commanders, supervisors, and personnel must dedicate time and resources to integrate risk management principles into:

Planning
Operational processes
Day-to-day activities

Pre-Planning vs Add-On

Risk assessments of operations and activities are most successful when:

Incorporated deliberately in the normal sequence of events (the pre-planning of a mission or activity)
By individuals directly involved in the event
And NOT as a last minute or add-on process

Better Than No Planning

Risk management planning, even in a time-constrained environment, is BETTER than no planning at all.

Apply the Risk Management Process Cyclically and Continuously

Apply Cyclically

Risk management is a continuous process applied across the full spectrum of:

Military training and operations
Base operations functions
Day-to-day activities and events

…both on- and off-duty.

Cyclic Process Functions

This cyclic process is used to continuously:

Identify and assess hazards
Develop and implement controls
Evaluate outcomes
Provide feedback to our Airmen and Guardians

…to save lives and preserve combat resources.