AFSOC taking combat search, rescue Published April 30, 2003 By Master Sgt. Scott Elliott Air Force Print News WASHINGTON -- The Air Force will turn over functional management of the combat search and rescue mission to Air Force Special Operations Command on Oct. 1.The transition to AFSOC from Air Combat Command is meant to consolidate the management of CSAR and to take advantage of the synergies of combining like aircraft and missions, said Maj. Gen. Richard A. Mentemeyer, director of operations and training at the Pentagon.Currently, AFSOC manages special operations forces, and ACC has administrative control of rescue assets.“There is a lot of commonality within the forces of SOF and CSAR,” Mentemeyer said. “We’re going to consolidate oversight and management so our men and women on the ground have the assets, training and focus they need to do their mission.”While successes in recent operations may have some wondering why change is necessary, Mentemeyer said the consolidation was in the works well before Operation Iraqi Freedom started.“This reorganization is more about the future than the past,” he said. “This consolidation is important (for the Air Force) to take advantage of all the technologies that are coming on board.”Those emerging technologies include “Blue Force Tracker,” which allows rescue forces to track people on the ground through the use of radios, satellite and data links.Another benefit of the consolidation will be a “plug and play” capability, that will allow commanders to better manage their assets, said Col. Henry Gaither, chief of the personnel recovery division here.“On the combat rescue officer and pararescue side, we sometimes had challenges with the compatibility of equipment,” he said. “With both (rescue officers and pararescuers) moving under AFSOC, we’ll be able to standardize equipment across the board between special operations and combat rescue forces.“The equipment, capabilities and training will flow together, and it will be a seamless capability to combatant commanders,” he said.According to Col. Douglas Salmon, chief of the special operations division here, some of the cross-flow has already taken place.“One thing we’ve found with some of our rescue units getting folks from AFSOC, is they’re able to tap into their special operations knowledge to improve our combat rescue work and vice versa” he said. “It’s a win-win situation for both the individual and the Air Force.”Gaither said people in the special operations and CSAR career fields will also see benefits from the major command switch in the form of more opportunities for career advancement.“The CSAR world is very small,” Gaither said. “By combining with AFSOC, we’ll be able to open up more opportunities for leadership positions in operations and combat support.”Logistically, the transfer from ACC to AFSOC will be reasonably straightforward and with minimal impact to people at the unit level -- essentially just a uniform patch change, Mentemeyer said. However, the change will require some manning and equipment shifts, including:-- Moving 53 positions to Hurlburt Field, Fla. -- 49 from Langley Air Force Base, Va., and four from Shaw AFB, S.C.-- Increasing positions at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., by 91 and at Nellis AFB, Nev., by 31.-- Changing Moody AFB, Ga., from an ACC-owned base to an AFSOC-owned base.AFSOC will assume responsibility for all base functions at Moody, including civil engineering, financial management and base operating support. Both ACC and Air Education and Training Command will retain a presence on the base through tenant units.Officials estimate the transition to cost about $1.1 million, mainly in administrative costs and site surveys.