AFMC activates 1st IMSC detachment in Pacific

by Staff Sgt. Amanda Dick
Headquarters Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs

4/10/2015 - JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii  -- Air Force Material Command activated the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center Detachment 2 in a ceremony here April 9.

Maj. Gen. Theresa Carter, AFIMSC commander, presided over the ceremony as Col. Mickey Addison assumed command of the newly established Pacific detachment.

"I am proud the [Pacific Air Forces] detachment is the first to stand up [in the Air Force]. I feel very good that our team here has been helping lead the Air Force in this initiative at the detachment level," Addison said. "Our mission in the detachment is to synchronize and execute installation and mission support for Pacific commanders. I am very confident we are well positioned to execute that mission."

PACDET combines and overseas functions in the comptroller, civil engineer, communications, security forces, personnel and support career fields.

"I'm very proud of the teamwork and support our PACAF team provided to the AFIMSC Provisional Staff to achieve this milestone," said Gen. Lori Robinson, PACAF commander.  PACDET marks the beginning of the AFIMSC journey for PACAF, and the Airmen will lead the way."

While Airmen in the above career fields won't see a change at the base level in their chain of command, the funding and guidance flow will be impacted starting in fiscal year 2016, when AFIMSC takes control of installation and mission support funding.

Speaking to PACDET Airmen, Carter said though many changes will take place, there will be "more constants than change."

"You are still going to be there to solve problems, to secure resources, to take care of Airmen, to support commanders and to provide a great installation from which we can deliver airpower and our men and women can live, work and play," she added.

Addison agreed, stating PACDET would help to pave the way for how the 10 detachments would operate.

"We'll have 10 detachments going in the same direction, flying in formation," he added.

To help set the standard, Addison offered the following "guiding principles."

"A change in leadership is not a change in mission, so we'll continue the mission. We will establish processes and not depend on personality -- we're not going to have single points of failure," he said. "We are going to write the book -- we have a clean slate now to write new procedures to support Pacific commanders.

"We're going to be lean flat and responsive -- we're a small number with a big mission, and we're going to embody that responsiveness to our customers, our teammates and our colleagues," Addison added. "We're going to continue our partnerships ... with our joint and combined partners around the Pacific to get the mission done and support our commanders."

Looking to the future, Carter said she hopes to see the Pacific as a "very innovative and lean organization where detachment commanders like Colonel Addison have been empowered with the authority, the responsibility and the resources to very quickly embody that 'I'm supporting commanders' mindset ... that he's empowered to take action, make good decisions and support the folks who are down at the installation."

The Pacific detachment will include 60 Airmen who were formerly part of Headquarters Pacific Air Forces.