AFIMSC vice commander speaks at commanders’ school

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman William J. Blankenship
  • 42nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs
The vice commander of the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center spoke to a class of Air Force leaders attending the Commanders' Professional Development School at Air University April 20 on how the new center will provide installation and mission support programs and services.

Col. Brian Duffy explained the progress in standing up AFIMSC and how centralized capabilities will affect them as they depart and become mission support group commanders.

"The tremendous opportunity presented by the stand-up of the AFIMSC is we are going to serve as that single voice for the installation and mission support portfolio, helping us better prioritize requirements across our Air Force and ensuring the highest needs are funded," Duffy said.

AFIMSC, headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, is now the sixth center under Air Force Materiel Command. The center consolidates installation management functions currently being performed at every major command and will serve as the single intermediate-level headquarters for the delivery of installation support capabilities.

"I think our immediate challenges are communication and understanding," Duffy said. "While agile combat support forces at our Air Force installations will remain aligned with their current chain of command, they will derive a significant portion of their resourcing from the AFIMSC. That is different, and that will be a challenge. Our job is to try to make that seamless."

AFIMSC's capabilities include security forces, civil engineer, base communications, logistics readiness, installation ministry programs, services, operational contracting and financial management, according to the center's website.

Duffy said the class of colonels he spoke with was a specifically targeted audience that he wanted to speak with and receive feedback from regarding the changes.

"They're living through the change right now," he said. "The crop that is going into command right now is going to live in the world the way we've done it before, and then on Sept. 30, funding lines will change. The people they call for help and support are going to be different. That's why getting the word out here and integrating them into our build plan is important."