Beale Command Post AFRC's Large CP of the Year

by Dana Lineback
940th Wing Public Affairs

5/3/2014 - BEALE AFB, Calif. -- Aristotle declared the whole is more than the sum of its parts.

Today, that ancient quote is often used to define the synergy teams need to succeed.

For Senior Airman Amanda Schulz, Beale Command Post senior emergency actions controller, Aristotle's words may explain why her unit was recently named Air Force Reserve Command's 2013 Large Command Post of the Year.

Beale Command Post is a combined command post, with 9th Reconnaissance Wing active duty and 940th Wing reservists coexisting.

"I never think 9th or 940th. We get recognized as a whole if we succeed together. If we fail, we fail as a team," said Schulz, an active duty member with six years of command post experience.

"We may be different offices with different areas of responsibility, but everyone's willing to help out whenever needed. These are people you can trust to have your back."

Staff Sgt. Brittainy Ward, a traditional reservist who serves as a command post emergency actions controller, agreed with Schulz.

"It's amazing to have the ability to integrate like this. It gets rid of any stereotypes (between the components) and allows you to bond," Ward said. "We all realize we're here for the same mission. We handle issues at the same level of difficulty, and we put in the same amount of work to stay qualified, whether we're here two days a month or every day."

Ward has been on a winning team before. She was assigned to the command post at the 916th Air Refueling Wing at Seymour Johnson, N.C., when that unit won AFRC's 2012 Large Command Post of the Year.  When asked about common denominators between her previous unit and Beale's command post, she cited two similarities.

"First and foremost, everyone knows the mission - what you have to do for day-to-day operations, as well as for inspections and exercises," Ward said. "And both units also have outstanding training programs that ensure you stay consistent and keep on top of training requirements."

To stay qualified, command post members endure a monthly closed book test, with a minimum passing score of 90 percent, two open book tests and a controller team scenario. Traditional reservists, full-time reservists, and active duty all meet the same proficiency requirements.

Complicating the rigors of monthly testing is the fact that command posts operate in a secure environment, handling both classified and unclassified information. Study materials must remain in the secure area, so members can't study at home.

"Everybody comes in on their off time to study and keep up with changes," Schulz said.

"There's no hand-holding in Command Post," said Ward. "You don't have a chance to lose proficiency. You have to know what you're doing when you get up on the console."

Ward said she makes an effort to seek out pertinent changes as soon as she gets in.

"You can't wait for someone to just give them to you."

Schulz concurred.

"As mundane as all the studying can get, we have to remind ourselves of the importance of being prepared," she said. "There are times we send reports all the way up to the Pentagon from here. Our job is to be there for a base commander in situations where every second matters. If we're efficient, it sets our commander up for success."

Like Ward, Schulz has been a member of an award-winning command post before. She was at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, when the unit there won Pacific Air Forces 2010 Large Command Post of the Year.

"Command post is a 24/7 mission for a reason. Anything can happen on any given shift," Schulz said. "I consider us to be an elite force. It's an honor to be recognized among our peers across the Air Force Reserve Command."