JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas -- The Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center closed out an extremely tight year in the last hours of FY21, executing more than $7 billion to attain close to 99.9 percent obligation of the operations and maintenance portfolio across the enterprise.
Fiscal year 2021 provided many challenges for the members of the Resources Directorate as they supported natural disaster recovery and humanitarian efforts, the COVID-19 pandemic, and civilian pay shortfalls.
“The team worked very hard to get these programs funded in the difficult financial landscape we faced this year,” said Jeff Schmidt, AFIMSC’s Financial Operations Branch chief. “We had our challenges like Winter Storm Uri and Operation Allies Welcome, where our team came together very quickly to support Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and Holloman Air Force Base as they received refugees.”
Schmidt detailed the team’s significant accomplishments. These include $363 million for Overseas Humanitarian Disaster and Civic Aid; $100 million for ongoing Natural Disaster rebuild efforts at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska; $53 million to support the ongoing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic; $87.5 million to support local Non Appropriated Fund operations, Central Fund and Child Development Center labor expenses; $2.4 billion for enterprise must-pay requirements; $1.1 billion in Construction Tasking Order projects; $1.9 billion in Level 1 decentralized Facilities, Sustainment, Restoration and Modernization; and $1.3 billion for other Level 1 installation and mission support requirements.
“We knew there were funding challenges throughout the year, even up to the last hours of September 30,” Schmidt said. “It was tight, but with the help of $165 million in emergency authority by the Secretary of the Air Force Financial Management Budget Operations team, we were able to push additional funds through to ensure we took care of the Airmen, and the missions and installations we support.”
Funding in the last 24 hours of FY 2021 alone included $57.5 million to the Air Force Services Center to support the non-appropriated fund program, which was deeply affected by COVID-19; $22.4 million of the CTO projects; an additional $55 million in OHDACA to carry the Air Force Contract Augmentation Program contract into October; and an additional $54 million for wing commanders’ base operating support unfunded requirements.
“Wing commanders know what the pulse of their installation is. Whether it’s a dining facility or dorm project, cold weather gear for Defenders up north protecting missile silos, even funding for runway snow removal to keep pilots safe, their number one priority is to take care of Airmen,” Schmidt said. “And we were able to really get after these types of projects with the additional funding provided to us late in the fiscal year.”
Col. Laurie Lanpher, AFIMSC’s budget director, recognizes FY21 was a bit of a wild ride for the team and required the tireless efforts of all the directorate’s financial managers, as well as those at AFIMSC’s 10 detachments’ to successfully close out the fiscal year.
“I’m proud of the team here at AFIMSC,” Lanpher said. “It’s been a busy time with effects felt across the world as these efforts supported readiness, upgraded infrastructure, improved installation and mission support activities, and enhanced the quality of life for Airmen and Guardians across the entire Air and Space Forces.”