by Maj. Lennea Montandon
Air Reserve Personnel Center Public Affairs
7/15/2013 - BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Headquarters,
Air Reserve Personnel Center was recently awarded the Air Force
Organizational Excellence Award for exceptionally meritorious service
from Oct. 1, 2010 to Sept. 30, 2012.
During this period, the center's strategic vision, new information
technology system support and integrated solutions for the Air Force and
Air Reserve communities provided for more efficient support to nearly 1
million Guard and Reserve members, retirees, and their families.
"Congratulations to the innovative civilians and military members on the
ARPC team," said Brig. Gen. Jay Flournoy, ARPC commander. "From an
efficient headquarters transfer to the implementation and improvement of
programs like e-BOSS and vPC-GR, our customers saw minimal interruption
in service and today have access to more user friendly systems."
Members assigned to ARPC during the award period are authorized to wear
the Air Force Organizational Excellence Award ribbon on their "blues"
uniforms, and civilians are authorized to wear the pin. The 460th
Military Personnel Section Force Support Squadron and civilian personnel
will load the award for affected members, who can later go into myPers
to verify the award is in the system.
ARPC's mission is to ensure members are ready to provide total force
war-fighting capability for the Air Force and provide Guard and Reserve
members with support from entry to retirement. Customer service is
paramount at ARPC.
One critical branch most members will come into contact with is the
Points Management Branch where representatives, like Nanina Baldwin,
build records and service histories for enlisted members and officers
transferring into the Air National Guard or Air Force Reserve. During
the award period, the branch created more than 7,000 new records within
four months of a member entering the Guard or Reserve.
Baldwin has focused solely on officer records for the past nine years
and assisted nearly 2,000 officers a year. She pours through various
systems to find supporting documentation and verifies critical dates and
points are entered correctly. Some cases can take hours to research.
"The process can get complicated, especially for members who've also
served in other branches of service," Baldwin said. "If the member is
missing documents or something doesn't seem correct, we often coordinate
with our contacts in the other services to get supporting records."
She has also educated members and helped find solutions. She worked with
individuals who had "bad years" and didn't realize it. A reservist must
have 50 points during each retention/retirement year, but if they do
not meet that requirement, the year cannot be counted toward retirement.
Sometimes it's because the member transferred from a different service
and the R/R date may have changed. Also some customers may not have been
educated on how the R/R year process works. Baldwin recommends
reservists check their points at least once a year in Virtual Military
Personnel Flight or Virtual Personnel Center- Guard Reserve or call
ARPC's Total Force Service Center-Aurora.
Computer systems were also changed and improved upon for ease of use.
A new automated case management system allowed ARPC representatives to
access multiple personnel systems and answer questions electronically
from customers requesting help through vPC-GR and myPers.
"It has greatly reduced the amount of paperwork, cut down on response
time and has allowed for better tracking," explained Mark Williams,
deputy director of Future Operations and Integration.
The Electronic Board Operations Support System was also brought online
during this period for use during promotion boards. e-BOSS is a system
that automated all officer records, saving man hours and money. The
system allows promotion board members to pull-up records on their screen
and score each officer's record electronically.
Finally, during the award period, ARPC moved 400 employees from the
former Lowry AFB to Buckley AFB over a weekend with no interruption of
customer service. Future Operations and Integration carefully planned
the IT move, accounting for every detail.
"We were like a surgical team," said Williams, when explaining the process.
The entire move took only 90 minutes, and ARPC was serving customers the following Monday.
Maj. Susan Murphy, Promotion Eligibility Division chief, worked with
each of the branches to put together the award package. She was
impressed by the assistance offered by ARPC, from documentation for the
Post 9-11 GI bill benefits to the design of the Reduced Retired Pay Age
vPC-GR application and work done in retirements.
"Writing the award package for ARPC was a rewarding experience. It was
amazing to capture how much the center has accomplished and is still
accomplishing regarding transformational improvements, technological
advancements, and our premier customer service actions," she said.
The Air Force Personnel Center website describes the Air Force
Organizational Unit Award as recognizing the accomplishments of unique
internal organizations that perform functions normally done by numbered
wings, groups, and squadrons. ARPC is a direct reporting unit of Air
Force Reserve Command with technical and policy guidance provided by the
Chief of Air Force Reserve.
7/15/2013 - JOINT BASE LANGELY-EUSTIS, Va. (AFNS) -- Combat
Air Forces, or CAF, units from multiple commands began flying again
today after many stopped flying in April of this year due to
sequestration.
The restored flying hour program represents $208 million of the $1.8
billion reprogramming allocation authorized by Congress. The money
reinstates critical training and test operations for the CAF fleet
across the Air Force for the remainder of fiscal 2013. This impacts not
just Air Combat Command units, but also CAF units assigned to United
States Air Forces Europe and Pacific Air Forces.
For ACC, the restored flying hours will be allocated to combat aircraft
and crews across the command's operational and test units, including the
Air Warfare Center's Weapons School, Aggressors and the Thunderbirds
aerial demonstration team.
While the return to the sky means a return to crucial training and
development for pilots, navigators, flight crews, mission crews and
maintainers, the leader of the Air Force's CAF fleet cautions that this
is the beginning of the process, not the end.
"Since April we've been in a precipitous decline with regard to combat
readiness," said Gen. Mike Hostage, the commander of ACC. "Returning to
flying is an important first step, but what we have ahead of us is a
measured climb to recovery."
"Our country counts on the U.S. Air Force to be there when needed -- in
hours or days, not weeks or months," Hostage said. "A fire department
doesn't have time to 'spin up' when a fire breaks out, and we don't know
where or when the next crisis will break out that will require an
immediate Air Force response."
The restoration of flying hours only addresses the next 2 1/2 months of flying up until Oct. 1.
"This decision gets us through the next several months, but not the next
several years," Hostage said. "While this paints a clearer picture for
the remainder of (fiscal 2013), important questions remain about (fiscal
2014) and beyond. Budget uncertainly makes it difficult to determine
whether we'll be able to sustain a fully combat-ready force."
Additionally, the restoration comes at a cost to future capability,
including reduced investment in the recapitalization and modernization
of the combat fleet, he said.
"We are using investment dollars to pay current operational bills, and
that approach is not without risk to our long-term effectiveness,"
Hostage said. "We can't mortgage our future. America relies on the
combat airpower we provide, and we need to be able to continue to
deliver it."
(Courtesy of Air Combat Command Public Affairs)
by Senior Airman Joe McFadden
1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
7/3/2013 - HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- Before
hundreds of Air Commandos, citizens of the Emerald Coast, and static
displays of special operations aircraft, Col. William West assumed
command of the 1st Special Operations Wing during a change of command
ceremony at the Freedom Hangar here, July 3.
Lt. Gen. Eric Fiel, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command,
presided over the ceremony in which West, former commander of 27th
Special Operations Group at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., received the
reins of the wing from outgoing commander, Col. Jim Slife.
"A change of command ceremony is as much about recognizing great Airmen,
civilians and Air Force families as it is about commanders," Fiel said.
"It's an honor for me to recognize the achievements of Colonel Jim
Slife and the 1st SOW's dedicated Air Commandos as he relinquishes
command and to appoint Colonel Bill West, another extraordinary officer,
as your new wing commander."
West now assumes the mantle of the 1st SOW's 36th commander since Col.
Phil Cochran headed its ancestor, the 1st Air Commando Group, in 1943.
The wing which began by flying wooden Chindit gliders in
Burma-Indo-China during World War II is today the Air Force's fourth
largest combat wing on one of its most populous installations.
"Since they first took to the air in World War II, they have served with
distinction, and the men and women of the 1st SOW continue to serve our
nation's call for specialized airpower any time, any place with
spectacular results," the general said. "The courage, precision and
execution by our modern Air Commandos would make the early pioneers
proud."
West, who earned his commission from Texas Tech University, has flown
more than 2,400 hours as an instructor and evaluator navigator in the
C-141B and AC-130U aircraft. He previously served at Hurlburt Field
while assigned to AFSOC Headquarters, the then-16th Special Operations
Group, the 1st Special Operations Support Squadron and the 4th Special
Operations Squadron during his nearly 24-year Air Force career.
"Colonel West has a wealth of combat leadership experience coupled with a
history of providing groundbreaking solutions to tough problems," Fiel
said. "Bill, you are a proven leader, and I am extremely confident in
the future of the 1st SOW as you assume command today of this elite,
combat-ready unit and continue to take the fight to our nation's
enemies."
In his first address to the 1st SOW as its commander, West remarked on
the journey he took as one who attended previous wing changes of command
here as a spectator to now being the present commander on the stage
receiving the guidon.
"Words cannot convey what an honor it is to stand up here and take
command of this wing," West said. "It's very humbling. General Fiel,
thank you for the trust and confidence you have put in me to command
this wing. I will not let you down."
West then thanked the wing for their professionalism and emphasized a
renewed focus on training and responsiveness in times of uncertainty.
"To the men and women of the 1st SOW, I recently had the privilege of
deploying with you in Afghanistan, and I was absolutely impressed. You
should be proud of your combat performance," he said. "Now that we have
this historic time as we have most, though not all, of the wing home for
the first time in over a decade, we're going to take advantage of this
opportunity and refocus on training so we're prepared to go back to
Afghanistan and so we can maintain that high state of readiness that you
are at right now to respond to crises when our nation calls any time,
any place."
Slife, who was awarded the Legion of Merit during the ceremony, lauded
the men and women who comprise the wing he commanded since June 2011.
Since then, the 1st SOW accumulated 25,446 combat sorties in support of
joint and allied special operations missions around the world. The wing
additionally earned an "Excellent" rating on its first Consolidated Unit
Inspection, oversaw the transfer of its units on Eglin Air Force Base,
Fla., back to Hurlburt Field and the first full return of flying
squadrons from deployment since 9/11.
"I could not be any prouder of the wing," Slife said. "This team is the
best in the United States Air Force. It has been a highlight of my life
to be your commander, and I would do it again - any time, any place. The
wing could not be passed to a better commander than Colonel Bill West. I
walk away from here with my head held high and absolute confidence that
this wing is going to far surpass anything it's ever done in the
past now under Colonel West's leadership."
Slife, who was selected for promotion to brigadier general, is being assigned to MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.
by Senior Airman Cierra Presentado
7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
7/15/2013 - DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- From generation to generation, Tech. Sgt. Craig Cooper is keeping the military tradition in his family.
Cooper, a third generation Airman, always knew what he wanted to do with his life.
Growing up, Cooper was always surrounded by military members. Not only
has he followed in his family's footsteps, but now his step daughters
are following his. Cooper's stepdaughters, Elizabeth, who will join the
Air Force and Katherine, who will join the Navy, will continue that
family tradition.
"My dad and grandpa played a big part in my decision making, both of
them served in the Air Force retiring at chief master sergeant," Cooper
said. "The commitment and willingness to devote my life to something so
special means a lot to me."
During the Fourth of July weekend, Cooper got the opportunity to witness
a fourth generation take the oath of enlistment at a baseball game. The
Texas Rangers provided that opportunity during their annual enlistment
ceremony for Air Force recruits around Texas. Cooper and his daughter
Katherine were there to support Elizabeth during the ceremony.
"I was excited to be a part of the event," Cooper said. "It was a great
opportunity to have both my daughters supporting each other."
When asked about her career, Elizabeth said her inspiration came from her stepfather.
"Watching my stepfather serve in the Air Force inspired me to join,"
said Elizabeth, who is currently in the delayed entry program and
graduates high school next year.
Cooper's other daughter, Katherine, who leaves for Navy Basic Training
in just two weeks, took a different path from her sister, but still
wanted to serve.
"I decided to join the Navy because I really like what they have to
offer," said Katherine, a recent graduate of Abilene High School, Texas.
Cooper said he is proud of both his daughter's choices.
"I gave them options, but ultimately they made the decision to serve their country," Cooper said.
With one leaving for basic military training this month and the other
leaving in 2014, Cooper said he has nothing but positive hopes for his
daughters.
"I'm enjoying my time in the military, and I only hope my girls will
enjoy it as I have," Cooper said. "They are wonderful young women with a
great future ahead of them, I know they will succeed at whatever they
do."
by Scott Prater
Schriever Sentinel
7/12/2013 - SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- The
Operationally Responsive Space-1 satellite launched June 29, 2011 and
has been a star Air Force performer since its first day on orbit. As
members of the 1st and 7th Space Operations Squadrons celebrated the
spacecraft's second birthday this week, they couldn't help but imagine
years three and four.
"This is a great time to recognize all of ORS-1's accomplishments, but
we're not looking to rest right now," said Lt. Col. Toby Doran, 1 SOPS
commander. "We're focused on continuing to push innovation and the
utility of this system."
The vehicle has earned numerous awards from the scientific community
thus far. It was named one of the top 25 most important concepts by
C4ISR Journal, an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance industry
magazine, and the 2012 Mission Sustainment Integrated Product Team
award from the Association of Old Crows, an association that advocates
for electronic warfare, information operations and cyber technology.
Designed as a quick-response and low-cost alternative to traditional
satellite systems, ORS-1 differs in several ways, but its primary
distinction stems from its birth. It took approximately three years to
develop from concept to launch and on-orbit operations, compared to
seven years or longer for traditional systems.
Its payload technology was gleaned from a camera first developed for use
aboard U2 spy planes decades ago. Contractors attached a larger
telescope to the Senior Year Electro-Optical Reconnaissance System-2
camera to give it adequate resolution from orbit.
"It was initially designed to operate for only a year, but 1 and 7 SOPS
engineers and operators discovered they could expand the life of the
vehicle by pushing it to a higher orbit," said. Lt. Col. Tony Calabrese,
1 SOPS director of operations. "They also found that the higher orbit
would not substantially affect the required quality of its images. That
action alone extended the life of ORS-1 by three years."
Doran explained that 1 and 7 SOPS, also known as Team 8-Ball, will
continue to take innovative steps to prolong the vehicle's life even
further, upwards of five times its original lifespan.
For instance, the team informed U.S. Central Command that they could
deliver effects on short-notice, urgent, high-priority tasks earlier
this year. USCENTCOM responded a short time later when a CH-53
helicopter crashed in a remote location.
"They sent us a message saying they had a helicopter go down," Calabrese
said. "They gave us a location and a tasking to get an image and we
made a quick turn that exceeded all expectations."
In the meantime, the squadrons also expanded ORS-1 capabilities beyond a single combatant commander.
"We're focusing on the future," Calabrese said. "The vehicle was
designed to support CENTCOM, but we recognized it could do so much more.
We sent word out to U.S. Pacific and U.S Africa Commands, and reached
out through the Joint Functional Component Command directly to combatant
commander staffs to let them know we could support their taskings too.
All they needed to do was ask."
As a result, ORS-1 now provides effects for PACOM on a regular basis and
does so occasionally with AFRICOM and Special Forces commands.
"Our crews in 1 and 7 SOPS understand the effects and impacts we're
making around the world," said Capt. Eric Palmer, 1 SOPS Operations
Flight commander. "Since getting involved in these ad hoc tasks, our
members have come to work even more excited. We know we are making an
impact; we're innovating and asking for more. There's a lot of pride and
sense of job satisfaction."
Doran inferred that the point behind the Team 8-Ball anniversary
ceremony was to acknowledge ORS-1's success, but more importantly,
announce their intent to focus on future capability and performance.
"Hopefully, we can provide effects to all combatant commanders," Doran
said. "Team 8-Ball is demonstrating that Airmen, military, civilian and
contractors can take systems and make them incredibly powerful."
7/15/2013 - Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii -- More
than 28,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen and women will be taking to the
sea, land and sky in northern Australia as part of Exercise Talisman
Saber 2013.
Talisman Saber is a biennial training activity jointly sponsored by the
Australian Defence Force (ADF) Joint Operations Command and the US
Pacific Command to train the United States 7th Fleet and Australian
Deployable Joint Headquarters staffs as a designated Combined Task
Force.
Australian Talisman Saber 2013 spokesman Brigadier Bob Brown, said the
training activity would see US and Australian forces mobilise to react
to a fictional scenario.
"The scenario will be a peace enforcement mission, that sets the
conditions for the task force to hand over to a United Nations
peacekeeping force," Brigadier Brown said.
"The forces will operate in military training areas in central and
south-east Queensland, the Northern Territory and the Coral, Timor and
Arafura seas. Shoalwater Bay Training Area will be used predominantly,
with a large staging area at Defence Base Rockhampton.
"This year Talisman Saber sees further practice and progression of
Defence's emerging amphibious capability. The exercise will be the third
block of training for the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Australian
Regiment's Amphibious Ready Element Landing Force.
"Talisman Saber is a unique and invaluable opportunity to exercise
combined and joint Defence capability between Australia and the US.
"As with the previous Talisman Saber exercises, this activity is a major
undertaking reflecting the Australian and US alliance and the strength
of the military-to-military relationship," Brigadier Brown said.
Approximately 21,000 US and 7000 Australian Defence Force personnel will
be involved in the exercise, along with other Australian Government
agencies including the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, AusAID,
Australian Federal Police, and Australian Civil-Military Centre.
The ADF has conducted a full environmental impact assessment on the
Shoalwater Bay region and strong measures have been put in place for
participants to respect and protect the marine environment.
Talisman Saber 2013 runs from 15 July until 6 August 2013.
by Fighter Group Public Affairs
7/15/2013 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- F-22
Raptors assigned to the 3rd Wing fly over Alaska during the Reserve
unit training assembly weekend July 13. The Raptors were flown by
Reserve pilots assigned to the 302nd Fighter Squadron during the 477th
Fighter Group's monthly training weekend. During the week the 477th
Fighter Group, Alaska's only Reserve unit, integrates with the active
duty 3rd Wing.
by Senior Airman Kenneth W. Norman
97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
7/11/2013 - ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- A ribbon cutting ceremony was held June 11, 2013 to celebrate the grand opening of the Airman Resilience Center.
The ARC is the first facility of its kind at Altus AFB.
"The ARC includes five classrooms for training use, a theater room, a
game room, and an electronic gaming area," said Tech. Sgt. Jonathan
Mathe, 97th Air Mobility Wing NCO in charge of chapel operations. "It
also includes an interfaith chapel and religious education classrooms
for students of all ages. Airmen and their dependents will greatly
appreciate the addition of the newly renovated Airman's Attic and food
pantry. These areas help sustain our base populace through the
challenges of permanent change of stations, furloughs and personal
tragedies like those experienced recently by members of our community in
the apartment fire."
The ARC was the vision of Maj. Trent Davis, 97th AMW chaplain and Mathe.
"We attended the Air Education and Training Command Chaplain Corps
Resilience training conference and during a long car ride home the
concept of an ARC arose," Mathe said. "The focus of our current Airman
Ministry Center seemed too small in our current cost conscious culture.
Adding in the Airman's Attic, food pantry, and creating an open
environment where Airmen, units, and other base organizations could
utilize the ARC's tremendous resources seemed vital to our vision of
creating a stronger and more resilient force."
Volunteers spent two weeks helping to make the ARC a viable resource for the entire Altus AFB community.
"A handful of Airmen and family members worked 16-hour days transporting
supplies, reorganizing supply closets and the Airman's Attic, and
moving furniture," Mathe said. "The Airman's Attic and Airman's Ministry
Center have never been more accessible and welcoming to the Altus AFB
community."
The ARC is open to all base members and their families.
"The Airman's Attic is organized to assist Airmen, Technical Sgt. and
below," Mathe said. "The Airman's Ministry Center is open nightly and on
weekends as a resource to assist all single Airmen, Senior Airman and
below including our student Airmen, to help build community and support.
The food pantry is available to any Airman - civilian, military or
family member - that may benefit from immediate subsistence. Finally,
the ARC is provided to the entire base populace to encourage better
fitness in the four areas of resilience - mental, social, physical and
spiritual."
According to Mathe, the ARC houses the Airman's Ministry Center, which
supports more than 1,800 students annually through monthly dinners,
trips, group studies and community service outings. It is also the
center of religious education for both the Catholic and Protestant
communities supporting more than 800 classes and 3,400 people each year.
"The base Chapel is committed to supporting the quality life and
readiness of our Airmen, students, dependents, and deployers," Mathe
said. "With the opening of the Airman's Attic and base food pantry we
hope to encourage even more Airmen as life throws them a curve. We
believe that by continuously improving fitness in the four areas of
resilience, Airmen and their family members reduce the feelings of
hopelessness and despair that sometime arise and become healthier,
happier, more resilient members better equipped to deal with the rigors
of 21st Century military life."
All base members are encouraged to visit the ARC and see what it has to offer.
"It is our hope that organizations and units across the base will want
to utilize the ARC for social and training events," Mathe said.
For more information about the ARC or to reserve a room, contact the Chapel at 481-7485.
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