ARPC in the 2000s

by Mark Nelson
Air Reserve Personnel Center Historian

2/28/2014 - BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- (This feature is the last of a monthly series celebrating ARPC's 60th anniversary which is March 1, 2014. Each month highlighted a decade starting with the 1950s.)

Packed with promotion boards, retirement actions, musters, and customer service to Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve, and retired members, the new millennium looked quiet for the Air Reserve Personnel Center. But when terrorists attacked the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001, ARPC, and the world, changed.

ARPC members watched with horror from televisions around the center. Immediately, ARPC leaders activated a crisis action team and evacuated the building. However, the staff, united by their sense of duty and patriotism, as well as a strong sense of purpose, set upon doing their part to defend the nation.

When ARPC reopened Sept. 13, the staff transitioned into its wartime mission. Hundreds of phone calls came into what is now known as the Total Force Service Center from Reserve members who wanted to volunteer for active duty.

The next day, President George W. Bush declared a national emergency and authorized the call-up of the Ready Reserve. That same day, the secretary of defense instituted Stop-Loss, which allowed service secretaries to suspend any provision of law related to retirement or separation during a period of time when Reserve members were on active duty involuntarily.

By November 2002, ARPC officials had involuntarily activated nearly 3,500 individual mobilization augmentees for Operations Noble Eagle and Enduring Freedom, military operations against terrorism on the homeland and outside the U.S. respectively.

Also in 2002, Air Force officials sponsored a study for a contractor to perform records management and logistics support in order to reduce personnel costs. Known as the A-76 study, it recommended a contract to the National Institute for the Severely Handicapped organization.

A local NISH contractor took over management for officer selection, field, medical and microfiche master records. A sub-contractor performed education and training, supplies, logistics and multi-media operations.

Another significant change occurred April 1, 2005, when the Readiness Management Group was activated at Robins AFB, Ga. RMG took over IMA management oversight from ARPC and put the program under the Air Force Reserve Command. As a result, the center lost a number of manpower positions.

That same month, ARPC technology experts launched a new personnel website called virtual Personnel Center for the Guard and Reserve. Steadily through the years, vPC-GR evolved and is now a benchmark for personnel delivery service and efficiency for the Air Force.

In 2009, officials from the Air Force Personnel Center at Randolph AFB, Texas and ARPC created the Total Force Service Center by collaborating on a single toll-free number which provided all Air Force personnel including active duty, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve, civilian and retired members with seamless access to personnel services. While ARPC customer representatives and the Reserve Component have used this toll-free number since 1970, it was a new phone number for AFPC and their customers.

While all of these changes took place, a Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended relocating ARPC's processing functions to AFPC and relocating ARPC's IMA management functions to RMG.

ARPC leadership quickly formulated a strategy to show the commission that ARPC was better suited to perform their mission than AFPC. As a result, the commission voted in August 2005 against the proposal to realign ARPC at Randolph AFB. Instead, commissioners voted to relocate ARPC to Buckley AFB, Colo.

The construction of the new building took about two years and on Aug. 1, 2011, ARPC moved into its new home.

In early 2013, as part of the Air Force Reserve Human Capital Transformation initiative, personnel workload from AFRC and RMG began transitioning to ARPC using a phased approach. Completion date is targeted for Sept. 30, 2014.

This initiative included the standup of Headquarters, Individual Reservist Readiness and Integration Organization Feb. 1, 2014. RIO will assume a major portion of the workload currently managed by RMG. Once the transition is complete, RMG will be deactivated and ARPC will come full circle since its creation with managing IMAs.

For six decades, the people of ARPC have served the nation faithfully and well. The future may be uncertain, but one thing is sure...ARPC members have been serving generations of Airmen since 1954; with pride, honor, and strength.

Editor's Note: Lt. Col. Belinda Petersen and Master Sgt. Christian Michael, ARPC Public Affairs, contributed to this article.