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AMC's 'Total Force' partners discuss first 'staff-to-staff' meet

  • Published
  • By Bekah Clark
  • Air Mobility Command Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  Air Mobility Command Vice Commander, Lt. Gen. Rusty Findley, AMC Headquarters directors and their Air Force Reserve Command and Air National Guard equivalents came together for the command's first "staff-to-staff" meeting in September.

The meeting was arranged to address key issues facing their respective directorates. Among the issues discussed were Total Force and fuel efficiency initiatives, and maintenance, security mobilization and deployment concerns.

The one-day meeting is an effort to further improve relationships and efficiency between active duty, Reserve and Guard to work through challenges together in a face-to-face, open forum, said Col. Phil Fallin, the deputy director of staff at AMC and coordinator for the staff-to-staff meeting.

"It's a great opportunity for everyone to meet face-to-face, instead of trying to catch up through e-mail," Colonel Fallin said. "It's always better to just sit down and talk. Nothing replaces a face-to-face conversation with your counterpart."

AMC's staff-to-staff meeting came just two days after the Air Force chief of staff, Gen. Norton Schwartz, called for ANG and active duty forces to work more closely together.

"The skill-set of National Guard members is critical to sustaining worldwide partnerships," General Schwartz said during his speech at the 131st annual National Guard Association of the United States General Conference meeting in Nashville, Tenn., on Sept. 12. "We stand to succeed across all areas of our total force mission, but we face numerous challenges."

The staff-to-staff meeting marks the first time that AMC, ANG and AFRC Air Staff has met face-to-face to talk through issues that challenge their directorates. The goal is that meeting in-person will circumvent the natural delays that occur when working together through phone calls and e-mail, ultimately bringing speedier resolutions to the problems that our Airmen face day-to-day.

"Decision makers for AMC, ANG and AFRC were all here at the same time," Colonel Fallin said. "This means, if a decision made by the Operations Directorate will affect the Strategic Plans, Requirements and Programs Directorate, they can go to the next room and discuss it. It really streamlines the process."

The meeting is also another means through which Total Force partners can achieve common goals. Many of the meeting's attendees said working with their Guard and Reserve counterparts is essential.

"For us, Total Force Integration isn't a slogan or a program -- it is a survival technique," said Col. Bradley K. Ashley, Director of the AMC Communications Directorate and participant in the staff-to-staff meeting. "Teamwork is absolutely essential...we simply could not do what we do as an Air Force without active duty, Guard, and Reserve working together as a team."

"This type of face-to-face exchange is invaluable to understand the challenges we are all experiencing in our cyber mission today," said Col. Margaret L. MacMackin, Deputy Director of Communications for AFRC and participant in the staff-to-staff meeting. "It clearly shows how similar we all are today and as partners we are a Total Force team in communications."

Directorates involved were personnel, intelligence; air, space and information operations; logistics; strategic plans, requirements and programs; communications, installations and mission support; analysis and lessons learned; finance, legal and surgeon general. In addition to the directorates, General Findley and his ANG and AFRC counterparts also met to discuss strategies.

"This was a perfect time for us to meet as we head into the Logistics Board of Advisors next week," said Brig. Gen. Kenneth Merchant, Director of AMC's Logistics Directorate. "The ability to put our heads together and address concerns in real-time was invaluable."
The group convened just before noon and after opening remarks by General Findley, who served as the chairman of the meeting, each directorate met separately to discuss their unique issues. 

Later in the afternoon, the group reconvened for an outbrief to share what issues were discussed as well as solutions and takeaways. This provided each directorate an opportunity to discuss issues with the vice commanders of each component.

Colonel Fallin hopes to make this meeting at least an annual occurrence. "It was a very successful event," he said. "With over 65 participants from the three components, I think a lot of progress was made in several key areas affecting our mobility forces across the spectrum. Face-to-face discussions are always best -- and we're already looking forward to our next meetings."