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'Spread the Word' team briefs Maxwell-Gunter personnel

  • Published
  • By Carl Bergquist
  • Air University Public Affairs
A four-person Air Force Personnel Center team, headed by Col. James Weimer, visited Maxwell-Gunter to deliver a "Spread the Word" briefing to base personnel at the Maxwell Base Theater, Feb. 25.

The purpose of the briefing was to provide information on personnel issues and allow Air Force members face-to-face contact with AFPC personnel.

More than 200 people attended the morning session, one of two sessions available to Maxwell-Gunter members.

"We are here to convey information to you, but also to listen to your suggestions," Colonel Weimer told the audience. "We want to cover the Air Force's top priorities and evolution of AFPC, but we also want to receive feedback from you that helps us improve AFPC's service."

The colonel started the briefing by covering aspects of the 365-day deployments, to include the change from the previous 7-day option for those eligible to separate or retire from the service to the new 3-day option for those actions. He also covered the Air Force assignment process, saying the short-term goal of AFPC is to develop today's mission requirements, and the long-term goal is to develop a wide-range of qualified Airmen to do the mission. He said AFPC does its best to balance those two goals.

"AFPC doesn't set policy. It receives guidance from career-field managers," Colonel Weimer said. "Supervisors of officers and enlisted members need to know how the system works."

In terms of manning, the colonel said nuclear enterprise is the chief of staff's number one priority. He also mentioned joint manning, emergency requirements, grade imbalance and integrated Air Expeditionary Force and assignment processes as other top priorities AFPC is engaging.

"Simply put, we are committed to meeting the needs of the chief of staff of the Air Force," he said.

Spread the Word team member Maj. Kim Rhoades was next, and she discussed AEF issues that are important to military and civilian members eligible for deployment.

"We deployed more than 106,000 Airmen last year with a 20-month staggered cycle system," the major said. "We came up with a Global AEF tempo-banding system for deployments to meet the requirements. Some deployments were 179 days while others were 356 days, and we found that when the demand increased, the only way to meet Air Force needs was to decrease the dwell rate."

She said another area of concern for AFPC is the Air Expeditionary Force Reporting Tool, or ART, which is submitted to AFPC with mistakes frequently.

"Please make sure your ART reporting is done accurately," Major Rhoades said. "The AFPC Web site provides guidance on this."

Paula Blackwell talked to attendees about civilian personnel issues, and she described 2008 as a "very challenging" year with implementation of the National Security Personnel System, or NSPS, and manpower studies.

"These are organizational challenges we are committed to fixing," she said.

Ms. Blackwell described civilian personnel as a "team sport" and said some of the areas her department will address this year include a single information technology system; updating personnel information; force renewal that will target critical high-turnover positions; and being "a partner with all parties" to fill positions in 80 days instead of 120 days. She added that supervisors should "manage their vacancies" and act quickly in requesting replacements for personnel they lose.

When asked a question about job announcements that do not list the proper information or requirements, Ms. Blackwell assured the questioner AFPC would help.

"If your job announcements do not meet your needs, we will work with you to get announcements that do meet your needs," she said.

AFPC Personnel Services was discussed by Lt. Col. Jim Costey, and he said anything that doesn't fall under deployment or civilian actions falls under his department. He said the Air Force is doing well at retaining its Airmen, and he is confident the service will be able to meet its retention goals. He also talked about future changes in Air Force uniforms.

"With the Airman Battle Uniform, we are about to wear-test a new lightweight version of the uniform," he said. "If all goes well, the newer ABU will be in military clothing stores soon."

He said the boots currently being used will keep your feet warm, but tend to stain easily, and the Air Force is working on that problem. Also, the physical training gear is going through wear testing of a lightweight version, and the new gear should be available in the fall.

Colonel Costey said in the way of other programs, AFPC is now doing evaluations electronically, and technicians are digitizing personnel records that provide supervisors with 24 hour a day access to people they supervise.

"The personnel services division is in the process of changing how you get their services," the colonel said. "Using the Web, the AFPC Service Center is trying to shorten the time you wait for a personnel technician."

Following the briefing, the team took additional questions from people who attended the session. They also made themselves available at the 42nd Military Personnel Flight until the afternoon session began at 2 p.m.

For more information about changes at the Air Force Personnel Center, visit the AFPC Web site at http://ask.afpc.randolph.af.mil.