Reserve units stand up force support squadrons

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ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFNS) --  In the coming months, reservists serving in mission support and services career fields will realign under force support squadrons in the Air Force Reserve Command.

A mix of mission support and services units received authorization Oct. 15 to inactivate or change their unit designation. The result is the establishment of 29 force support squadrons. Another nine force support squadrons will replace mission support and services organizations effective Dec. 1.

"The new squadrons are a zero-sum gain," said Maj. Charles Knapp, the action officer at Headquarters AFRC Directorate of Manpower, Personnel and Services. "We streamlined two base support functions under one command structure to improve efficiencies. Aside from the name change, the impact to customers will be seamless."

AFRC officials modeled the program on lessons learned from the FSS reorganization in the active-duty Air Force and the command's provisional units, Major Knapp said. Over the past two years, command officials evaluated the concept at four active-duty bases and three command installations.

"The test bases did the heavy lifting by identifying areas unique to the Air Force Reserve, such as position descriptions for Air Reserve technicians and civilians," Major Knapp said. "They provided critical information and insight into the future state FSS."

To help move the process forward, AFRC/A1 Plans and Integration Division officials hosted "huddles" to explain the FSS structure to the units. Half of the units met in Macon, Ga., in March, and the other half gathered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas, in August, where they received "FSS in a Box." The box contained implementation tools -- checklists, programming plans, organizational charts, ceremony scripts, etc. -- to help the units make the transition to the new organizational structure.

"We wanted to take time to meet face-to-face with each command team and support each base by providing as much assistance as possible prior to FSS implementation," Major Knapp said.

Command officials expect FSS to be fully operational by December 2011.