Oversight office changes name

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Scott Elliott
  • Air Force Print News
WASHINGTON --  The agency that ensures the Air Force gets its money’s worth from contracts totaling more than half the service’s annual procurement budget takes on a new identity Feb. 1.

The Air Force Program Executive Officer for Combat and Mission Support officially stands up, changing its name from AFPEO for Services. The new name will more accurately reflect the mission, said Timothy Beyland, the organization’s director.

“The majority of the support provided by AFPEO/SV is part of agile combat support, an Air Force distinctive capability,” Mr. Beyland said. “’Combat and Mission Support’ more accurately reflects our mission and focus.”

A common misconception with the old name was that the PEO dealt strictly with morale, welfare and recreation-type issues, said Lt. Col. Michelle Miller Peck, the agency’s deputy director.

“When they initially gave us our name, they took it from a contracting term -- you are either buying a commodity or a service -- not realizing that, at base level, ‘services’ has a very different meaning,” Colonel Miller Peck said. “When you have a name that doesn’t reflect what you really do, it can be confusing.”

The Air Force has other PEOs reflecting various programs, but AFPEO/CM has the largest portfolio -- currently more than 140.

“Almost anything that is not a weapon system, is something in my portfolio,” Mr. Beyland said. “We cover the gamut, from radar systems to ranges to base operating support contracts all over the Air Force.”

“The reason we exist is to provide Air Staff-level oversight into all the support-type acquisitions,” Colonel Miller Peck said.

Congress directed the military services to create contract oversight agencies as part of the 2002 Defense Authorization Bill.

AFPEO/CM provides centralized Air Force leaders and management control to all contracted services in excess of $100 million and any A-76 study impacting 300 or more full time manpower positions, Mr. Beyland said.

In general, bases needing mission support service would source their own contracts, Mr. Beyland said.

“If the dollar amount was high enough it would be probably go to headquarters,” he said. “But never in that process was there any oversight at the Air Staff level and there were no performance measures required on the contract.”

Having AFPEO/CM involved raises the stakes, Colonel Miller Peck said.

“At least once a year, bases have to let Mr. Beyland know how performance on the contracts is going,” the colonel said. “The big concern, from the congressional level, is they want to make sure that we get what we pay for.”