JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas – It’s Mission Monday. Meet David Fish, services program analyst in the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center’s Installation Support Directorate in San Antonio.
Fish and the directorate’s Airman and Family Services team are responsible for capturing resourcing requirements for Air Force dining facilities and other morale, welfare and recreation programs, in addition to lobbying for additional funds to support Airmen, Guardians and families at Air Force installations around the world.
With a passion for developing analytics, as well as evaluating budgeting and recommending change based on customer needs and the Air Force’s ability to support programs, Fish said, “We are in the infant stages of data analysis.”
We asked him to tell us more about himself and the work he does for AFIMSC and the Department of the Air Force.
What do you love about your job?
I have the best boss and team in the world, and we work extremely well together. Our goal is to help installations be better informed and keep them updated on current challenges with funding to help force support squadron teams in messaging to their wing leadership. It’s not always the answer they want, but they know exactly what is going on and what limitations we are faced with when it comes to resourcing. I love being their extended family from San Antonio … we are here to help.
When it comes to your job, what keeps you motivated?
My supervisor giving me the autonomy to dive in and focus on making processes easier and better for installation force support squadrons. Without the support she provides, I’m sure I would be looking for work elsewhere.
Why are you and your team important to the Air Force and Space Force enterprise and your customers?
Our job is extremely important, because we focus on lobbying for resources for Airmen, Guardians and family programs. We don’t put planes in the sky or contribute to flightline missions directly, it is all indirect support. I think we have one of the most difficult jobs, which is to help installations with funding to support programs that enhance morale, camaraderie and just create an environment where employees and families can relax, have fun and enjoy a good meal with family and friends.
Describe a project or event you and your team worked on recently that gave you a great sense of accomplishment:
We have been working with Headquarters Air Force A1S and the Air Force Services Center, looking at food service analytics. The great thing about this project is that we can stop addressing the emotional conversation about how we need more support for Airmen, Guardians and families and start having an analytical conversation that supports a true requirement. At the end of the day, there just isn’t enough money to resource all of the wants at every installation. Now we may be able to find offsets, live within a budget and still provide quality service and programs to our service members and their families.
How does what you do support AFIMSC’s strategic priorities -- increase lethality and readiness, strengthen Airmen, Guardians, and families, and pursue organizational excellence?
Airman and Family Services focus on each of AFIMSC’s Strategic Priorities. Airmen and Guardians must be in the best shape possible to support the mission ... which supports resilience and readiness. Our programs support our Airmen, Guardians and families directly everyday with our primary mission focused on the health and wellbeing for this population. Finally, we are looking at our programs in ways we haven’t before, because we have to be not good, but great Samaritans of our budget and the resources provided by our taxpayers … Excellence!
Is there anything else you’d like to add which might help people understand the importance of what you do for the Department of the Air Force?
I say this all the time, “we grow up teaching our children to live within their means, and we need to take the same approach everyday while we are at work.” We have reached the point where the well is running dry, and we work diligently to disperse the budget with the least amount of risk at every installation we support. We focus on how we support Airmen, Guardians and families every day!