Base command post adopts 'total force' concept

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Sherri Bohannon
  • 917th Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  Members of the 2d Bomb Wing and the 917th Wing command posts became one integrated force, the "Barksdale Command Post," as of Dec. 26, 2007.

This bold move, ordered by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force General T. Michael Moseley, seeks to create a "more uniformly trained force," according to Lt. Col. Anthony Switalski, chief of the Barksdale Command Post.

Command post controller competencies include mission monitoring, emergency actions, emergency and disaster management and operational reporting.

The merger will allow Reserve controllers "access to the latest technology in communication and alerting systems, increasing their skill sets," according to Master Sgt. John McClain, command post training manager.

"We have been afforded the opportunity to set the standard for ACC bases in being the first base to fully support total force integration from a command and control perspective," Assistant Command Post Chief 1st Lt. Michael Allen said. "We will receive additional training and certifications that will allow us to operate as Barksdale Command Post controllers instead of (strictly) a 917th Wing Command Post controllers."

As the consolidation takes place over the next several months, the lines drawn in the sand between active-duty and reservists on duty in the command post will begin to fade, according to Colonel Switalski.

"Once we are trained on each other's missions, there will be times when of the two controllers on duty, one will be from the 917th Wing (reservist) and the other will be from the 2d BW (active-duty). Or, both will be from the 2d BW, and they will be providing command and control for both Wings," he said.

Administratively, 917 WG command post personnel will remain under the Reserve umbrella. Otherwise, according to Lieutenant Allen, there should be no perceivable difference between the two.

"The end result is to have continuity between active duty and Reserve controller training, where no one can tell the difference," he said.