Headquarters Air Force A4 changes to Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection

By Secretary of the Air Force Office of Public Affairs, / Published May 29, 2015

WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- As part of the Future Air Force Organization initiatives, the Air Force standard office symbol code title for the Headquarters Air Force A4 area of responsibility changed from "Logistics, Installations and Mission Support" to "Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection" May 22.

This title change is part of an effort aimed at better aligning the Air Force with the joint staff organization construct and is part of ongoing Air Force efforts to reduce overhead and achieve greater efficiencies through the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center.

“This is a small indicator to the bigger change that’s happening across the Air Force to ensure we meet the challenges outlined in our leadership’s ‘A Call to the Future’ 30-year strategy,” said Timothy Bridges, the assistant deputy chief of staff for logistics, engineering and force protection. “

Bridges said this reorganization helps the A4 community build strategic agility to remain effective in an environment that is rapidly changing and has increased instability and unpredictability.

The A4 mission continues to focus on strategy, policy, oversight, career field management and some programming and budgeting within its four directorates, which are:

- Civil Engineers (A4C), which includes installation strategy and plans, facility management, energy and environmental management, readiness and sustainment. The directorate leads Air Force civil engineers in providing, operating, maintaining and protecting sustainable installations.

- Logistics (A4L), which includes logistics plans, logistics readiness, munitions and maintenance branches.  The directorate ensures the readiness of the single largest element of manpower supporting Air Force combat forces.

- Resource Integration (A4P), which includes portfolio advocacy management, information technology policy and strategy, resources, executive services, weapon system sustainment and logistics transformation.  The directorate is responsible for AF logistics, installations and mission support long-range planning, strategic support planning and associated policies.

- Security Forces (A4S), which develops security forces policy and strategy. This directorate has oversight for protecting Air Force resources from terrorism, criminal acts, sabotage, acts of war and ensuring Security Forces are trained, equipped and ready to support contingency and exercise plans. 

“We must align our efforts to be able to meet the demands of tomorrow,” Bridges said. “That means we must think differently about what we need to do, how we need to do it, and that may not necessarily be the way we’ve always done them in the past.”