Marines

Active duty Airmen integrate with AFRC

22 Oct 2012 | Senior Airmen Melissa Harvey & Martha Whipple

The 20th Operations Group from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., activated Detachment 3 here earlier this year, as one of the first Air Force Reserve Command's F-16 active associate units.
 
Reserve and active duty Airmen are working together as an active associate unit, supporting the 301st Fighter Wing. Typically in a classic associate unit, Reserve units will integrate with active duty bases. The active duty owns the aircraft, equipment and real estate while AFRC supplies additional manpower. For Det. 3, it is the opposite. AFRC owns the assets and welcomes active duty manpower.

In both scenarios, active duty and Reserve Airmen work seamlessly to carry out the day-to-day mission and maintain readiness. Det. 3 is an active duty F-16 unit that will be integrating with the AFRC, under the Total Force Integration initiative.

The foundation for TFI is in Air Force Instruction 90-1001: "To meet Air Force operational mission requirements by aligning equipment, missions, infrastructure, and manpower resources within the Air Force to enable a more effective and efficient use of these assets."

What does this mean for the 301st Fighter Wing?

Logistically, it means the 301st FW will be accepting active duty members at Det. 3. Secondly, the Air Combat Command and AFRC leadership will overlap. ACC will be responsible for the administrative and personnel issues, while AFRC will oversee operational mission.

Currently there are about 25 Airmen assigned to Det. 3, but the unit will grow from a small contingency to about 165 active duty. "These Airmen will be a mixture of maintainers, pilots and administrative personnel," said Lt. Col. Matthew Cliver, Det. 3 commander.

With the active associate unit, there will also be changes to the Reserve force who are currently part of the wing.  The 301st FW will transfer one six-ship unit tasking code to the active duty component. A UTC is a manpower package of maintenance Airmen required to support a dependent deployable group of six F-16s.
 
"The Reserve Airmen currently in those positions will be assigned to other like positions or as overages with AFRC," said Col. Max Stitzer, 301st maintenance group commander.  "The wing will benefit from the merger because the active Aimen bring a varied set of abilities and skills that will improve our operability in today's high-tempo, worldwide operational environment."

Similarly, integration with the wing, "helps the active duty Aimen by exposing us to the wealth of experience you have in the Reserve," Cliver said. "We are bringing in Airmen with many different levels of experience, but none of them have been doing their job for more than 25 years like many of your senior non-commissioned officers. With the limited resources this is the perfect way to build experience in our young Airmen that they can build on for the rest of their careers."

Change is not easy. This is a unique situation because an active duty Air Force member will be assigned to an Air Force Reserve wing, on a Navy base. There will be challenges.

"The integration will bring challenges in managing, training and employing more full-time Airmen than we ever have before," Stitzer said. "It will also challenge some of our paradigms and traditions because the Reserve is very conditioned to manage a particular mix of pay status and availability in our workforce. However, even though it will be challenging, if we do it right, our active association will make both components (reserve and active duty) more combat capable."

Other specific challenges include limitations in housing for Airmen, medical facilities and typical force support squadron assistance normally provided on an active duty base.

"Det. 3 will bring motivated active duty Airmen with new ideas and unique experiences," Cliver said. "This will make the best reserve wing in the Air Force even better ... if we do it right. We are off to a great start, and I can't wait to show what a capable force we are, as an integrated team."

Marine Corps Base Hawaii