JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas – The Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center is embracing a new era of operational effectiveness and collaboration with a plan to adopt the Air Force Forces staff structure, more commonly known as an A-Staff.
With planning underway since September 2022, the leadership team wants to achieve Initial Operational Capability by Oct. 1 and Full Operational Capability by October 2024.
“We’re establishing an organizational construct more aligned to those used across the Air Force and Joint Force that’s better suited to balance critical planning, programming and mission integration activities across the staff,” said Maj. Gen. John Allen, AFIMSC commander. “We're confident this new organizational structure will greatly improve our ability to advance and execute National Defense Strategy and Department of the Air Force priorities.”
The A-staff construct is a proven organizational model that has been successfully implemented across the military. An A-staff construct at AFIMSC will facilitate improved communication, coordination and synchronization across all functional areas, leading to increased operational effectiveness and responsiveness, and a stronger focus on strategy and planning.
The A-Staff naming convention is also more universally understood in military circles than AFIMSC’s current directorate designators, which will make it easier for customers to understand where functions are seated in the organization.
Senior leaders and subject matter experts on the A-Staff planning team held five workforce information sessions June 21-22 for more than 700 AFIMSC members. They presented an A-Staff 101 briefing that included timelines and actions that will take place over the coming year and answered questions from the workforce. Before AFIMSC can implement its A-Staff plan, the commander of Air Force Materiel Command must approve the center’s organizational change request.
“We are having these conversations now, so folks get a sense of what’s proposed,” said Sam Grable, AFIMSC executive director. “Our intent with these sessions is to develop a common understanding. Even though this is largely affecting headquarters staff structurally – and not the primary subordinate units or the detachments – everybody is impacted because there are processes and products that will be impacted by this restructure.”
Seeking “counsel” from the AFIMSC workforce was another goal of the information sessions, Grable said.
“This is a proposal. We want to hear from people who work here and get our collective brain power around it,” he said.
Over the next year, AFIMSC will execute milestones toward achieving that goal, including realigning some positions at headquarters to the A-Staff construct, developing operational guidance and facility footprints, communicating the change with stakeholders, and updating the unit manning document. With plans to conduct regular updates and training sessions to ensure a seamless integration of the A-staff construct, the planning team is committed to transparency and two-way communication.
“As we assess the organization during IOC, there might be some things about the structure – and how we put the functional teammates into the divisions or branches – that may not be completely right. So, we ask for your assessment, your professional judgment, on how to make that better,” said Col. Thomas Segars, acting AFIMSC Installation Support Directorate director and planning team lead.
AFIMSC is standing up a transition team to take the process from the planning to implementation phase and military and civilian members of the team are encouraged to join it to help shape the future organizational structure.
“Nothing is final until we hit FOC. We can make adjustments along the way,” said Chief Master Sgt. Ryan McClary, explosive ordnance disposal senior enlisted leader and planning team member. “That’s why it’s pivotal to hear from (the AFIMSC workforce) about where and how we can do things more effectively and efficiently.”
Members of AFIMSC who want to join the transition team or get more information about the transition process can send an email to afimsc.a-staff.workflow@us.af.mil or visit www.afimsc.af.mil/A-Staff.