Base personnel specialists to move back under MSS

Published Aug. 20, 2007

MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho -- Dozens of personnel specialists assigned to commander support staff offices across the base move into the 366th Mission Support Squadron in October under an Air Force plan to realign personnel resources at places like Mountain Home.

There are simply not enough military personnel authorizations left to sustain current military personnel flight and commander support staff operations, according to Chief Master Sgt. Norman Peck, 366th MSS superintendent.

The Air Force Base-Level Service Delivery Model, or BLSDM, plan consolidates the officer and enlisted personnel corps to give military members and squadron and group commanders maximum personnel support, given the realities of ongoing force reductions, the chief added.

In April 2006, the Air Force began to implement Personnel Service Delivery transformation initiatives. This involved cutting personnelist authorizations up front to fund the development of automated technology applications designed to replace these people. In concert with this move, the Air Force Contact Center opened in San Antonio to help service members with individual personnel questions they couldn't solve on their own. The Air Force "paid" for staffing the call center by reapportioning 1,500 personnelist authorizations across the Air Force.

During the same month, the Air Force released Program Budget Decision 720 to major command leaders. PBD 720, a signed Congressional plan, outlined the Air Force's goal to cut approximately 40,000 people from the service to help pay for advanced weapons systems and equipment needed to support the Global War on Terror.

"Essentially, the personnel community took three cuts almost simultaneously -- PSD transformation cuts, reapportionment of personnelist authorizations to man the Air Force Contact Center and PBD 720 cuts," Chief Peck said. "Additionally, the technological solutions to make everything work didn't arrive as quickly, and in some cases as thoroughly, as originally planned."

Under the original PSD transformation reductions, the military personnel community could've sustained its service delivery structure using personnelists from existing military personnel flight and commander support staff agencies, according to the chief. However, the reapportionment of personnel resources to the Air Force Contact Center, coupled with additional PBD 720 cuts, overwhelmed these plans.

PSD transformation initiatives, including several major changes, continue here and at other Air Force bases in the next four months. Processes for handling assignments, promotions, reenlistments and separations actions are expected to change by December 2007.

"The next four months will witness unprecedented changes in both how and where personnelists accomplish their work," Chief Peck said.

Officials with the 366 MSS continued this week to iron out the details of how the personnel community will operate during and after the Air Force BLSDM consolidation plan takes affect.

Base personnel specialists to move back under MSS

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