Air University Review, May-June 1978

General Jones has stated that in the future, the Air Force will move more toward a "single manager approach" in the management of Air Force resources. The reason given for this strategy is that as the Air Force decreases in size, "it has become increasingly appropriate and necessary to achieve greater efficiency and mutual support through basic organizational consolidation."¹

A "Support Command," in my opinion, would provide the Air Force with the "single manager approach" that General Jones envisions to the direction and control of air bases, air stations, and certain other support functions. Adoption of the Support Command concept, in addition to providing a single manager, will relieve operational commanders from the wing through the major command level of distractions created by air base management, will create economies, will promote efficiency. and will develop a greater body of expertise in air base management. Besides consolidating the management of installations under a single agency, existing support commands, services, and separate operating agencies could be realigned to this new command, thereby eliminating several headquarters.

Air bases and air stations are now assigned to specific major air commands for command and management purposes. Fifteen different commands or agencies are designated as operating commands for the installations. Some commands, such as SAC and USAFE, operate and maintain several bases; SAC has twenty-nine and USAFE has twenty-three. On the other end of the spectrum, AAC, AU, and USAFSS operate two installations each.²

Each of the fifteen commands or agencies has staff elements devoted td managing support functions, and some, of course, are larger than others. These staff elements include such areas as civil engineering, security police, transportation, medical, and legal activities. The staff agencies in each of the commands issue directives, gather data, and perform staff surveillance and visits, to name a few of their activities. Usually, these staffs perform identical functions to those of other commands because the support task does not change materially from one command to another; for example, civil engineering or medical support is essentially identical on a MAC, SAC, or TAC base.

All bases support units of commands other than their parent command. Many bases support units of two or more major operational commands. All bases and most air force stations have tenant units of the Air Force Communications and Air Weather services. In addition, the OSI and now the commissaries are also tenants on most Air Force bases.³ Not only do air base groups or wings support many tenants but they frequently are transferred from one command to another. As examples, Pope and Little Rock were recently transferred from TAC to MAC; also, Moody was transferred from ATC to TAC. Most of the support personnel assigned to these bases remained in place and went to work for the new command with little or no change in duties.

As a result of the practice of bases' being operated by various commands, problems develop and resources are wasted. A recent Defense Manpower Commission report noted that within DOD, "a carefully thought-out, nationally coordinated plan to provide support" is next to nonexistent. The report went on to state that some improvements have been. made, but a mechanism is still not in being to plan in detail to provide the support function.⁴ Although these comments do not directly point at the Air Force, the current fragmented structure of managing air bases contributes to this situation.

Not only does fragmentary management lead to noncoordinated planning on a wide scale but it also creates difficulty for tenants in adjusting and complying with another major command's directives. This becomes very apparent in such areas as budgeting and programming. Some commands hold funds at the highest levels and authorize their use on a piecemeal basis; others give the local base units more autonomy and, consequently, visibility in the use of funds over a longer period. As another example, the process for making inputs into the military construction program varies between commands.

Duplication of staff elements in the small commands takes place with no apparent benefit. Operating a legal office or a Central Base Personnel Office should not differ materially from a PACAF to a USAFE base. Providing command-level management for two or three bases requires an "open the door" cost, which is duplicated in each command, This duplication could be minimized through reassignment of base management responsibilities. Not only are staff elements at the parent headquarters duplicative but the directives issued by each of these elements also tend to duplicate others. This leads to increased costs in time and funds to establish and distribute the publications.

Single management has been applied to certain support functions: e.g., communications, weather, air traffic control, audit, and special investigations. These agencies operate on most bases regardless of host command and perform their functions with considerable success and with a single set of directives, The units are operationally responsive to the operating commands they support and administratively and technically to their parent command. This arrangement provides greater functional technical expertise because of the concentration rather than fragmentation of staff elements. Also economies in staff personnel have been realized by merging these functions into single parent organizations

A support command should be established to operate and maintain air bases and air stations This command should absorb the function of AFCS, AWS, and the air base groups/wings of all commands. In addition, some separate operating agencies such as the AFOSI, AFMPC, AFAFC, and AFDAA could be assigned to that command.

The new command would provide wide-ranging services in support of the operating commands that would be tenants on the Support Command's bases. The support base commander would be operationally responsive to the operating units on the base. The services he would provide include air traffic control, airfield management, civil engineering, communications, weather, food, chaplain, legal, medical, security police, special investigation, transportation, personnel support, housing, postal, and central base administration.

This approach to providing support would provide for greater central-coordinated support planning along with economies in operation. The approach would eliminate many directives and the diffused attention of commanders and staffs of operating commands by enabling them to focus their attention on their primary missions and less on housekeeping. The new command would have greater visibility in the support role and would be able to develop greater expertise in each functional area. The visibility and expertise should enhance training, mobility, and flexibility in the support functions.

The Support Command concept is a step in the direction of the "single manager approach." It will result in greater efficiency and effectiveness in support of the Air Force Operation.

1. General David C, Jones, "Keep the Air Force Number One," Air Force Magazine, May 1975, p. 51.

2. "Air Force Magazine's Guide to USAF Bases at Home and Abroad," Air Force Magazine, May 1975, pp. 142-54. Some at the data will change soon as bases close, as Headquarters Command is inactivated and its functions are transferred to MAC., etc. The numbers are significant only to make the point. Forecast changes will not alter them significantly.

3. Ibid.

4. Phil Stevens, "How Pressure Keeps Military Bases Open," Air Force Times, December 10, 1975, p. 19.

The Hummingbird

Aerodynamically the hummingbird should not fly. His wing R.P.M. is 60 times per second, or approximately 3,600 wing heats per minute. That is a high R.P.M. especially since the little bird is less than 3 inches long and his gross weight fully loaded is less than 2 pennies. He derives his name from the humming sound he makes in flight. His performance is fantastic, holding all aerobatic records. He is a combination of jet, helicopter, fighter pilot, and moon rocket. He can hover motionless, can fly backward, straight up and down, and fly forward In a zigzag motion faster than your eye can follow. He can turn his little wings almost completely around and drive away a bird as large as a hawk with his fighter tactics. His fuel consumption is heavy, requiring 50 to 60 stops a day for flower nectar. The hummingbird's range is unbelievable. He flies each fall and spring from Central America to the United States across the Gulf of Mexico which is a non-stop distance of more than 500 miles. HE IS OUR GREATEST FLYER.

Aviation (Illinois Department of Transportation)
 January-February 1978, p. 11

Lieutenant Colonel Norman H. Runge (M.P.S., Auburn University; M.S., Troy State University) is Director of Air Traffic Control Operations, Strategic Communication Area, Offutt AFB, Nebraska. Prior to 1962 he served as a transport and bomber pilot. Since then, except when an instructor at Air Command and Staff College, he has served as an air traffic control officer and squadron commander in the Air Force Communications Service. He graduated from Air Command and Staff College in 1970 and Air War College in 1976.

 Disclaimer

The conclusions and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author cultivated in the freedom of expression, academic environment of Air University. They do not reflect the official position of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, the United States Air Force or the Air University.

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