Merging missions: SVS/MSS to combine Published April 5, 2007 By Staff Sgt. Amanda Callahan and Airman 1st Class Ashley Coomes 319th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- As one of the Air Force's six test bases, Grand Forks Air Force Base will merge its mission support and services squadrons April 17 to form the 319th Mission Support and Services Squadron or MSSS. The ultimate goal behind the merger is to gain a more efficient, effective organization. "As far as customer service, it will really be transparent to Airmen," said Maj. Paul Swenson, 319th Services Squadron commander. "You'll still go to the MPF [military personnel flight] to make sure those actions are taken care of, and you'll still be able to go to the fitness center and use it as you do." Creating the MSSS is in line with Congress' Program Budget Decision No. 720, or PBD 720, which granted the Air Force authority to reduce manpower authorizations to save money. The Air Force is using the test bases to establish where specific responsibilities and processes should be placed within the organizational structure and how they should be established, such as which should be merged, which should be collocated, and which should be kept separate and distinct as manpower, personnel or services entities. The Air Force plans to eliminate a few positions, but the overall design is to create an organization that provides the best support to Airmen and their families, according to Major Swenson. One of the biggest benefits of the merger will be noticed during deployments. "Our [deployed] work is morale, welfare, readiness and training; all of those things we do independently at this point, but we'll do it together from this point forward," said Maj. Sarah Schultz, 319th Mission Support Squadron commander. "A lot of the things we do in a deployed environment, we should be doing together, joined at the hip; therefore, we can possibly reduce the number of people we deploy." The merger will also validate the new organizational design to determine which leadership and flight configurations produce the best results. Offices, like mortuary and casualty affairs, will be collocated. Also, manpower, civilian personnel, military personnel and the personnel readiness unit will be put together in a "one-stop shop," according to Major Schultz. Conjoining similar offices is a better way to give us forward deployed capability here at home station by enabling better training, added Major Swenson. According to Major Schultz, the squadrons' officers will soon combine into one career field. "I look at the future merging of our career fields as an opportunity to learn about yet another facet of our Air Force," said Capt. Cristin Miller, 319 MSS. However, the merger will not affect all Airmen assigned to the squadrons. Because of the different Air Force Specialty Codes, the enlisted side will still have their core mission, according to Major Schultz. "Airmen are definitely on a different training track," she said. "For external customers, it'll pretty much be business as usual within MSS and SVS," Major Swenson pointed out. "The office symbols will change, but the organization will be more successful than the two squadrons are separately." The process will not be without challenges though. "The biggest problem I see right now is getting everyone on the same page of music," said Master Sgt. Paul Thiel, who will be the first sergeant of the newly formed MSSS. "As the service's first sergeant, there really is a family feel to the squadron, and now we're going to have more brothers and sisters. "But both squadrons are filled with true professionals who know their jobs and will keep the focus on outstanding customer service and the mission," he added. The activation ceremony will be April 17 at 3:19 p.m. at the Northern Lights Club. Air Force wide implementation of the mission support and services squadrons should be completed by January 2008.