AFIMSC plays pivotal role as Air Force takes control of JBAB

  • Published
  • By Joe Bela
  • AFIMSC Public Affairs

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas – The Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center played a pivotal role in the transition of Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling from Navy to Air Force control Oct. 1.

AFIMSC’s Detachment 5 at nearby Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, orchestrated what was the Defense Department’s first-ever lead service transfer of a joint base.

The detachment, together with AFIMSC’s primary subordinate units and its Installation Support Directorate, worked for more than a year to prepare for the transition that gave the Air Force’s 11th Wing direct responsibility of JBAB, a 1,000-acre installation in Washington, D.C. The transition also transferred more than 500 Navy civilians to the Air Force.

Navy run since its inception in October 2010, JBAB is comprised of what was the Naval Support Facility Anacostia, the former Bolling Air Force Base and the Bellevue Housing Area. The military properties merged as a result of the mandated Base Realignment and Closure law of 2005, which sought to transform the military, foster jointness across the services and reduce excess infrastructure to produce savings.

“Working as a team, alongside the Air Force District of Washington and the Navy District of Washington, we determined and addressed the installation and mission support requirements necessary to properly operate the joint base once the Air Force took over,” said LaShunda Carter-Waterman, Det. 5 chief financial analyst.

As the AFIMSC lead project integrator, Carter-Waterman worked with the transition team, including logisticians and experts from the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, Air Force Security Forces Center and Air Force Services Center to determine the cost of taking over JBAB.

“A memorandum of agreement between the Air Force and the Navy was finalized in June and funding for JBAB will transfer to the Air Force. The final details are still being worked out, but the projected budget is expected to be about $122 million annually,” she added.

The annual budget supports essential functions, including the upkeep of real property and infrastructure, resources, force protection and services activities such as lodging, dining facilities, child care and youth programs, and morale, welfare and recreation programs.

“AFIMSC’s global reach is apparent in Det. 5’s role with the transition of JBAB to the Air Force,” Carter-Waterman said. “It was a challenge to get the transition done within 15 months, but we worked through it and we’ll continue the work to (Full Operational Capability).”

JBAB is expected to be fully operational by Oct. 1, 2022. With JBAB’s recent transition, the Air Force now leads eight of 12 joint-based military communities across the world.