Services, mission support merger complete at test bases Published Aug. 7, 2007 By Staff Sgt. Monique Randolph Secretary of the Air Force Office of Public Affairs WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- The merger of services and mission support squadrons at six Air Force bases is now complete. The new combined organizations, called "force support squadrons," are paying huge dividends through improved service to customers, better synergy between organizations and increased efficiency in processes and people. The merger, scheduled to begin Air Force-wide in January 2008 and continue over two years, will affect more than 15 Air Force specialty codes and occupational series in the manpower, personnel and services operations fields. "Laughlin (officials) volunteered to merge in order to exploit synergies within the two organizations and better manage programmed manpower reductions," said Maj. Thomas Ballard, commander of the 47th Force Support Squadron at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, the first test base to complete the merger. "Merging the two squadrons allowed us to face projected monetary and manpower cuts as a team, and provide more efficient and effective customer service. "Through analysis, we identified some areas of redundancy where the two organizations were concerned, and working together as a team, we've been able to nullify those redundancies," he added. Laughlin completed the merger March 5, followed by Grand Forks AFB, N.D., and Edwards AFB, Calif., in April. F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo., merged May 30, and Minot AFB, N.D., and Eielson AFB, Alaska, merged June 11 and 27, respectively. "These six bases were selected to enable a mix of leadership, demographics, major command and wing missions," said Col. Michael Gamble, chief of the Air Force Manpower and Personnel strategic plans division. "We also considered commander turnover so that we wouldn't prematurely end someone's command tour. Throughout this merger, we want to minimize the negative impact on civilian and military members." Laughlin not only has merged administratively, but physically, placing all military, civilian and non-appropriated funds personnelists together, said Major Ballard. This enables the three functions to more easily communicate with each other and stay on the same page with policies and procedures. "For our customers, the merger has been seamless as far as the services and products we provide," he said. "The real results are seen by our (squadron) members through the increased efficiencies the merger has created." Edwards AFB also is testing ways to eliminate redundancies in manpower, said William Wilson, director of the 95th Mission Support and Services Squadron there. "The first area to merge was our deployment readiness function," he said. "Previously, we had two unit deployment managers and staffs performing the same functions. (By merging the two agencies), we were able to cut manpower and still deploy combat-ready Airmen." Another merger that may yield tremendous efficiencies is having casualty affairs and mortuary affairs work together more closely, Mr. Wilson said. Casualty affairs, previously a mission support function, is responsible for next-of-kin notifications and several other support functions for the family of a deceased military member. Mortuary affairs, a services function, is responsible for military honors and burial of deceased servicemembers. At the end of the test period, the six test bases will conduct customer surveys and produce reports to assist Air Force leaders in making necessary changes or improvements prior to Air Force-wide implementation. "When you put two squadrons together that each has its own heritage and allegiances, you have to find the common ground," said Major Ballard. "What pulls us all together is we're all in the business of taking care of people. The new force support squadron is an exciting milestone for the Air Force. As a consolidated unit, we will continue to do our part to support our Airmen." Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link) Click here to view the comments/letters page