Air Force Reserve expands associate unit role at Vandenberg

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WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  As part of the Air Force Total Force Integration initiatives, the Air Force Reserve Command is expanding its associate unit role with Air Force Space Command at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., to support the Joint Space Operations Center.

"The associate unit program which began in 1968 has served the Air Force and the Air Force Reserve well over the years," said Lt. Gen. John A. Bradley, chief of Air Force Reserve and commander of Air Force Reserve Command. "Under the Classic Associate structure, our reservists operate and maintain equipment with their active duty counterparts. By sharing equipment, we are able to train more people and make better use of the equipment.

"Associate units also make good business sense because they capitalize on the experience and skills of reservists, many of whom were on active duty before joining the Air Force Reserve," General Bradley said. "Through the associate unit programs, that training investment can be multiplied over and over as people come and go in a unit."

Under the Base Realignment and Closure process, expeditionary combat support personnel authorizations from the Reserve's 939th Air Refueling Wing, Portland International Airport, Ore., will be used to establish a new classic associate unit to support the command's space associate mission.

Under the classic associate concept, Vandenberg's active-duty units will retain principal responsibility for the equipment, and Reservists will share in operating and maintaining that equipment.