JBER command and control units consolidate

by Air Force Staff Sgt. Blake Mize
JBER Public Affairs

3/26/2014 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Two Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson units merged recently to increase efficiency, reduce manpower redundancies and improve the installation's ability to meet command and control requirements.

The 673d Air Base Wing Command Post and 732nd Air Mobility Control Center officially combined for initial operating capability March 18. The consolidated command post provides JBER a full-time command and control capability directly responsible to the wing commanders, said Senior Master Sgt. Shawna Hovestadt, 673d ABW Command Post superintendent. It is responsible for receiving and disseminating orders, information and requests necessary for the effective command and control of assigned forces and operations.

"This is an exciting time in the [Command Post] career field," Hovestadt said. "As the host wing, we are eager to take on the air mobility mission and are looking forward to gaining insight into the Air Mobility Command world - while at the same time imparting our knowledge and experience on the installation command and control process to the new members of the [673d] Command Post."

The 732nd AMCC was located on the JBER flightline. Its role, which will continue within the consolidated unit, was to facilitate inbound flight crews. This included coordinating the logistical movement of cargo, communicating in-flight emergencies and arranging accommodations for flight crews.

Hovestadt said the merging process actually began in 1997 when the Air Force Audit Agency recommended command post operations be consolidated across the force. In January 2007, then-Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley directed each Air Force installation go to one command post. The one command post implementation plan was signed Sept. 22, 2013 and dates were established for different units to begin merging.

"There is a lot that goes into a merger like this," she said. "It is much more complex than just moving from the other side of the flightline. This merger has really been in the works at the grass roots level for years."

Despite the Department of Defense's current budgetary constraints, Hovestadt said the purpose of the consolidation is not money-driven.

"Due to the timing, it may appear to be tied to the fiscal environment but it is more of a common sense approach to best utilize command post personnel and centralize installation command and control," she said.