POPE ARMY AIRFIELD, N.C. -- Behind every fight there are Airmen at work who are not always seen. Every Airman must meet a level of readiness in order to accomplish daily missions. Helping to ensure that readiness for the 43rd Air Mobility Operations Group (AMOG) and other units on Pope Army Airfield is the 43rd Force Support Squadron (FSS).
The squadron functions efficiently with four flights to accomplish its mission of developing and supporting Team Pope’s total force Airmen and families. The 43rd FSS's four flights are Military and Family Readiness, Force Development, Military Personnel, and Manpower.
The Manpower flight works with 25 squadron commanders across the airfield, assisting with issues such as requirements for resources and manpower. The airfield manages and ensures valid employment of authorizations valued at over $294 million. Making sure each unit has enough resources and manpower is an important part of each unit working toward their mission.
“The Manpower Office at Pope Army Airfield ensures the right positions are aligned to support the group’s diverse and dynamic mission set,” said Staff Sgt. Nicole Brann, noncommissioned officer in charge of manpower. “Given Pope’s unique organizational structure, supporting multiple tenant units and joint operations, the manpower team plays a critical role in articulating local manpower needs to Air Mobility Command to ensure resources align with both day-to-day operations and contingency requirements.”
The Military Personnel Flight manages multiple programs such as career development, force management, and awards and decorations. They also process assignments, retirements and reenlistments. The flight also validated more than 12,000 personnel requirements and coordinates entitlements for more than 1,000 Airmen.
Capt. Samuel Nicholls, commander of the Military Personnel Flight, explained that the section is regularly graded and ranked against other flights in the Air Mobility Command. A personnel action report is the tool used to grade the different services the flight provides. It then ranks the scores across the Air Mobility Command. The 43rd FSS has held third place the past three quarters.
The Military and Family Readiness Flight helps Airmen and their families from the beginning of their career to when they finish service. The flight helps Airmen transition to civilian life through the Transition Assistance Program. To also support the family of service members, they have access to the “Bundle for Babies” program. Bundles for Babies is a program designed to prepare Airmen and their partners who are new or expecting parents. The programs within the flight are utilized by Airmen and their families throughout their service in the Air Force.
“The 43rd FSS is an integral part of the 43rd AMOG,” said Lt. Col. Joel Banjo-Johnson, 43rd FSS commander. “We are a part of Team Pope’s mission. We support the force in every aspect and in every priority. The 43rd AMOG’s mission is to ‘Support the Force, Train the Force, and Project the Force.’ We are an integral part of each of those pieces.”
To train the Airmen of Pope, the Force Development flight leads the education programs. The Chief Master Sergeant Louis Williams Airmen Leadership School falls under the flight command. The school teaches essential lessons to ready senior Airmen to promote to staff sergeant. They also help Airmen to personally grow by assisting with opportunities to obtain a college degree.
The 43rd FSS supports every mission on Pope through Airman readiness. The squadron has programs to assist Airmen with a majority of their personal or career needs. The 43rd FSS is a part of every mission on Pope, because Airmen need to be ready to accomplish their mission and the 43rd FSS works diligently to make that readiness happen.
“We support the force with our Military Personnel Flight members,” Banjo-Johnson explained. “We are training the force through education. We are projecting the force, because when the immediate response force stands up, our Military Personnel Flight commander, Capt. Nicholls, becomes the officer in charge of the Personnel Deployment Function and that’s how we get our force out the door. So, we are an integral part of Supporting, Training and Projecting the force.”