MORE AIR FORCE PERSONNEL HEADING TO EGLIN IN SUPPORT OF JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER PROGRAM

As the Air Force Realign their personnel in support of the Joint Strike Fighter program to Eglin AFB, I think you can expect the other services, i.e. Marine and Navy to follow suit. The moral of this story. Place your bets, Eglin Air Force Base will soon be renamed, Eglin Armed Forces Base, the first of its kind in the United States Military.


AFOTEC announces manpower realignment

5/12/2009 - Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. (AFNS) -- The Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center will begin realigning manpower to improve mission effectiveness. Pending completion of an environmental impact assessment, the realignment will shift personnel from Kirtland AFB to four AFOTEC detachments located in California, Colorado, Florida and Nevada. "The organizational change will more effectively integrate the people who perform the mission with their existing programs at four detachments, support the standup at a detachment for Joint Strike Fighter F-35 operational testing, and right size the headquarters," said Maj. Gen. Stephen T. Sargeant, AFOTEC commander. General Sargeant remains in command of the realigned organization which tests and evaluates new weapons systems capabilities to provide fact-based, decision-quality data to inform decision makers during the acquisition process. According to General Sargeant, "Realigning AFOTEC's manpower to our detachments where we conduct test and evaluation is consistent with the Air Force goal of improving acquisition excellence." The AFOTEC commander has been evaluating ways to achieve the right mixture of manpower and operational test and evaluation capability to support the Air Force commitment to acquisition excellence for the past year. "Increasing the manpower and expertise at detachment level where operational test and evaluation is executed will result in enhanced early influence and integrated developmental and operational test activities," said General Sargeant. AFOTEC proposes dispersing personnel from AFOTEC's Kirtland-based headquarters to four detachments. The current realignment plan will transition approximately 33 percent of the military billets to detachments at Edwards AFB, Calif., Eglin AFB, Fla., Nellis AFB, Nev., and Peterson AFB, Colo. The realignment affects 20 civilian and 71 military billets. Personnel capabilities and expertise will be aligned or realigned to support existing and projected operational test and evaluation requirements. Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link)