The Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center sustains the base communications infrastructure that supports Department of the Air Force mission requirements. AFIMSC partners with installation communications squadrons and information technology flights to sustain the IT infrastructure that connects the enterprise and enables Air and Space Force missions.
AFIMSC provides guidance to installations for sustaining the IT infrastructure that underpins all mission sets and provides an enterprise view of communications infrastructure through the Installation Health Assessment, or IHA. The IHA provides detailed analysis of the health of communication infrastructure at each installation and rank orders greatest needs to support data-driven funding decisions.
Communications infrastructure includes:
- Backup Power: Provides uninterrupted power supply for common-user IT capabilities/facilities.
- Cable/Antenna: Physical, digital and radio frequency transport networks on base.
- Legacy Voice: Telephone systems not fully converted to modern, IP-based voice capabilities.
- Land Mobile Radio: Infrastructure that connects handheld radios and base stations used for command and control, emergency response and base operations.
- Giant Voice: Audible transmission of emergency messaging to outdoor areas on base including outdoor speakers and consoles.
How does AFIMSC maintain mission-ready IT infrastructure?
- Continual Assessment: AFIMSC performs annual surveys and coordinates boots-on-the-ground assessments to monitor system health, identify risks and develop strategy.
- Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act Processing: AFIMSC promotes transparency and strengthens the public’s trust in Air Force actions by helping installations comply with Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act requirements. AFIMSC assigns a FOIA manager to each MAJCOM to provide assistance, guidance and training so that FOIA requests are processed in compliance with federal statutes and defense policies.
- Prioritization and Advocacy: AFIMSC develops and maintains prioritized requirements and works with installations to ensure the most critical operational needs are addressed. AFIMSC manages the Engineering and Installation Work Plan that installations use annually to submit for modernization or new base communications capabilities.
- Guidance: AFIMSC gathers and disseminates mitigations, solutions, best practices and benchmarks to help Airmen and Guardians do what they do best. AFIMSC identifies options for bases to consider as part of an integrated Emergency Notification Management System, to include assistance with fully engineered solutions.
- Coordination: AFIMSC stays in touch with mission partners to shape enterprise solutions. Through partnerships with the Air Force Office of the Chief Information Officer and Air Combat Command — the lead command for the cyber mission — AFIMSC seeks to best align and support wider Department of the Air Force IT centralization efforts.
Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act Processing
AFIMSC promotes transparency and strengthens the public’s trust in Air Force actions by helping installations comply with Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act requirements.
AFIMSC assigns a FOIA manager to each MAJCOM to provide assistance, guidance and training so that FOIA requests are processed in compliance with federal statutes and defense policies.
Readiness
Major Command Functional Managers and Functional Area Managers deliver responsive and integrated agile combat support training and readiness for I&MS capabilities. MFM and FAM experts evaluate personnel placements to provide global career field manpower, manning, unit type code management and force development that ensures installation leaders receive trained and mission-ready professionals.
(Current as of May 2024)