Air Force Petroleum Agency

The Air Force Petroleum Agency, a field operating agency reporting to the Director, Logistics Readiness, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Installations, and Mission Support, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, was formed December 2006. Located at Fort Belvoir, Va., the agency was formed through the realignment of other organizations. AFPA provides Air Force leaders with comprehensive information, services, and technical expertise needed to provide fuel support to air, space and ground forces across the spectrum of operations.

Mission
The Air Force Petroleum Agency is the service control point for all Defense Logistics Agency fuel-related support issues. The agency provides a full range of technical and professional services related to fuels, propellants, chemicals, lubricants, gases, and cryogenics for all aerospace vehicles, systems, and equipment. The agency:

-Provides contingency, operational and technical support to Air Force installations and fuels managers worldwide.

-Develops, evaluates, and recommends new or improved technologies to enhance effectiveness and efficiency of fuel operational support capabilities.

-Oversees and assists commanders in implementation of fuel product distribution and fuel quality programs.

-Provides specialized capabilities in propellant handling, alternative fuels, suspect product/systems contamination investigations, and laboratory analyses.

-Develops fuel quality assurance/surveillance standards and fuel product specifications.

NOTE: The term "fuel" in this fact sheet includes petroleum, alternative fuels, propellant, chemical, lubricants, gases, and cryogenic products used in aerospace and vehicle operations.

Karen Kwong, Air Force Petroleum Agency chemist, prepares the Jet Fuel Thermal Oxidation Tester to run a sample in the Quality Surveillance Fuels Lab at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Jan. 25, 2018. This instrument models the conditions that fuel is exposed to inside of an aircraft during flight to measure the thermal stability of a fuel sample. (U.S. Air Force photo by Michelle Gigante)

Karen Kwong, Air Force Petroleum Agency chemist, prepares the Jet Fuel Thermal Oxidation Tester to run a sample in the Quality Surveillance Fuels Lab at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Jan. 25, 2018. This instrument models the conditions that fuel is exposed to inside of an aircraft during flight to measure the thermal stability of a fuel sample. (U.S. Air Force photo by Michelle Gigante)
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U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. William Gomez, Aerospace Fuels Laboratory deputy chief, points to an ellipsometer graph in the Quality Surveillance Fuels Lab at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Jan. 25, 2018. The graph shows Gomez the measurements of deposits left by jet fuel exposed to simulated aircraft flight conditions. The amount of deposits left by the fuel are used to determine the thermal stability of the fuel. (U.S. Air Force photo by Michelle Gigante)

U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. William Gomez, Aerospace Fuels Laboratory deputy chief, points to an ellipsometer graph in the Quality Surveillance Fuels Lab at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Jan. 25, 2018. The graph shows Gomez the measurements of deposits left by jet fuel exposed to simulated aircraft flight conditions. The amount of deposits left by the fuel are used to determine the thermal stability of the fuel. (U.S. Air Force photo by Michelle Gigante)
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Staff Sgt. Manuel Cienfuegos, 100th Logistics Readiness Squadron noncommissioned officer in charge of fuels laboratory, collects a sample of Jet Propellant 8 fuel Jan. 27, 2020, at RAF Mildenhall, England. Members of the 100th LRS fuel management flight perform quality assurance checks on the fuel to make sure only high quality gas is being put into aircraft, ensuring mission readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Joseph Barron)

Staff Sgt. Manuel Cienfuegos, 100th Logistics Readiness Squadron noncommissioned officer in charge of fuels laboratory, collects a sample of Jet Propellant 8 fuel Jan. 27, 2020, at RAF Mildenhall, England. Members of the 100th LRS fuel management flight perform quality assurance checks on the fuel to make sure only high quality gas is being put into aircraft, ensuring mission readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Joseph Barron)
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Personnel
The agency employs 71 civilians, eight officers and 19 enlisted military members. In addition to this staff, AFPA uses seven contractors as its partners.

Organization
The headquarters office is co-located with the Defense Logistics Agency at Fort Belvoir. The agency is commanded by an Air Force colonel with a senior-level civilian as deputy director. The organization is composed of three directorates -- Operations Support, Business Support and Product Support -- and six area aerospace laboratories with worldwide presence. The directorates provide services to customers and coordination with business partners and act as the single point of contact for most AFPA work. AFPA directly communicates with industry, governmental agencies, other military services, and NATO countries as well as all levels of organizational structure within the Air Force. 

AFPA has a geographically separated presence and a fuel laboratory at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. AFPA also has other fuel laboratories at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., RAF Mildenhall, England; Kadena Air Base, Japan, and a contingency laboratory at a forward deployed location in Southwest Asia.

History
During its 50-year history of excellence, the Air Force Petroleum Agency traces its origins to the Directorate of Air Force Aerospace Fuels, Middletown Air Materiel Center in Middletown, Pa., along with several other offices, including the San Antonio Air Logistics Center Directorate of Aerospace Fuels at Kelly AFB, Texas. After the San Antonio ALC transferred the fuels function to Warner Robins AFB, Ga., the Air Force Petroleum Office or Det. 3, WR-ALC was established. On Dec. 18, 2006, the Air Force Petroleum Agency was activated in a re-designation ceremony that deactivated the detachment.