HURLBURT AFB EXPANDING OPERATIONS IN THE PANHANDLE OF FLORIDA

As promised, more military jobs and operations are coming to the panhandle of Florida. This will be a growing trend to streamline military operations and as stated many times before, Eglin AFB is in the cross hires where they are best suited. Still more to come. Economic growth does not stop here. Stay tuned.

Hurlburt training wing to expand
Study recommends a centralized campus for airmen heading to Air Operations Centers
By MONA MOORE
Northwest Florida Daily News 315-4443mmoore@nwfdailynews.com  
HURLBURT FIELD — A new study will mean more responsibility for the 505th Command and Control Wing. The wing trains airmen going to Air Operations Centers across the Air Force. “That’s how the Air Force plans and executes air power missions,” said Col. Mustafa Koprucu, the current vice commander (and the next commander) of the wing. The 118-page study recommended the wing become the home of an integrated centralized command and control campus and the major command for the training program. Researchers pooled their findings from surveys and interviews of current command and control, or C2, students and instructors. They also interviewed experts from all of the commands C2 students are assigned to, including Air Force Headquarters, Air National Guard, Air Combat Command and Pacific Air Forces. “We made every attempt to include representatives of all air and space command and control stakeholders. The team sought views from senior flag leadership, senior commanders at the O-6 level, field and company grade officers as well as airman and noncommissioned officers from all C2 specialties and domains,” the researchers wrote in the methodology portion of the study. The study looked at the existing system for training C2 and determined a need to consolidate some of the training. C2 training now is divided into three groups (called domains): air, space and cyber. Hurlburt Field always has taught the air domain. As the new field grew into additional domains, the training was assigned to other bases. The study found that several courses at the bases were redundant. It also identified gaps in the training program. C2 operations center commanders and division chiefs want an advanced C2 training course, or a graduate course. Also, the domains do not cover collaborating with each other, despite joint operations becoming more common. Another issue was that training each of the groups “stove-piped” students into a single specialty. Students will soon be able to train in the air, space and cyber domains. How soon is unclear. Koprucu said the training might be consolidated as early as this summer. “It was very well-received by four different four-star generals,” Koprucu said. Commanders of the Air Combat Command, Air Mobility Command, Air Force Space Command and Air Education and Training Command were briefed last month. All agreed with the findings and recommended implementing the plan included in the study. “But that means an increased student flow through here. What I have is a very capable cadre. We’ll need to alter that somewhat for the expertise,” Koprucu said. Current instructors might need additional training in the space and cyber domains, and additional instructors might be needed. Koprucu said any additional personnel will be decided later. Hurlburt’s training center now accommodates 1,400 students a year. The consolidation and advanced courses will add an additional 200 students. Koprucu said the campus will have no trouble absorbing the additional classes and students. The campus even is prepared for teaching all classification levels necessary for advanced courses. “The whole idea is to not shortchange the training, but to consolidate it so that everybody gets the standardized core,” Koprucu said.