JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas – It’s Mission Monday! Meet Paul Baldonado, a services facilities programmer for the Air Force Services Center at JBSA Lackland, Texas.
He and his team in the Capital Improvements Branch, oversee planning, programming, validation and funding of Air Force non-appropriated funds, or NAF, facility projects. They are responsible for ensuring project programming and approval complies with all legal and regulatory guidance.
He said he powers the world’s greatest Air Force by helping installation teams navigate NAF construction so they have a better understanding of the processes to deliver quality facilities for events and activities that support Airmen, Guardians and family readiness and morale.
“I love the camaraderie and can-do attitude of my fellow co-workers,” Baldonado said. “Our desire to provide the best service possible to the installations we serve makes it easy to come to work every day.”
We asked Baldonado, who enjoys reading, running, biking, sports and trivia game shows in his spare time, to tell us more about himself and the work he does for the Department of the Air Force.
Briefly tell us why you joined the civil service?
After retiring from the military, I felt I could still make a difference in the lives of Airmen and Guardians with the services knowledge I acquired during my career.
Why do you serve and what keeps you serving?
I enjoy seeing the result of a new facility I worked on go from initial validation of the project to becoming operational and providing a better quality of life for DoD members.
When it comes to your job, what keeps you motivated?
Knowing my work can have a positive impact on the lives of service members keeps me motivated. Whether a facility I worked on benefits them directly or not, the NAF revenues generated from the project are still used to provide other morale, welfare, and recreation programs across installations.
Describe a project you and your team worked on recently that gave you a great sense of accomplishment.
We recently executed a project call for installations to submit proposals for facility sustainment, restoration, and modernization and other types of construction projects. The call resulted in bases submitting more than 45 projects for consideration and 27 were selected for execution or further study.
How does what you do support AFIMSC’s strategic priorities? (increase lethality and readiness; strengthen Airmen, Guardians and families; pursue organizational excellence; and amplify warfighter culture)
By assisting installations with facility repair, renovation and construction projects, installations are able to provide more MWR programs and activities to Airmen and Guardians, allowing them to unwind and possibly discover new interests.