AFPC officials deploy team to improve personnel support in AOR

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Steve Grever
  • Air Force Personnel, Services and Manpower Public Affairs
RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Air Force Personnel Center officials here are deploying a team of personnel specialists to the U.S. Air Forces Central's area of responsibility at the end of April to examine personnel services and support for deployed Air Force members.

Capt. Paul Sortor, AFPC's program manager for this initiative, said the six-person, Total Force Service Center-Forward team will continue to conduct customer need assessments and provide direct personnel support to active duty, Guard and Reserve Airmen at their deployed location in Southwest Asia.

"The AFCENT commander encouraged us to 'live the problem'. Although we provide personnel services to customers from the Total Force Service Center, we are not always able to determine if personnel services and programs meet their intended objectives until we see firsthand how Airmen use them," Captain Sortor said. "We also need to understand our Airmen's comfort level with using online personnel services and self-guided applications to determine if those products are also effective."

Col. James Davis, AFPC's TFSC director, said the research and continuous recommendations identified during the six-month deployment will provide AFCENT and the Air Force a comprehensive view of how deployed Airmen receive personnel services in the AOR. Additionally, this initiative will provide a catalyst to revise programs and policies based on Airmen feedback and deployed mission requirements.

"Once we've collected the information and data, we will be able to provide recommendations on the final solutions for providing enduring personnel support for the warfighter," Colonel Davis said. "We believe a large portion of personnel support can be achieved through reachback similar to unmanned aircraft launched and flown in the AOR, but operated remotely from thousands of miles away."

Colonel Davis said the deployed team will also help raise awareness for both TFSC locations at San Antonio and Denver, the Air Force Personnel Services website and showcasing how these capabilities are beneficial to deployed commanders and Airmen.

"The TFSC and AFPERS are one entity that seamlessly ties together our telephone and online capabilities to provide first-class personnel support to total force Airmen," Colonel Davis said.

For more information on personnel services, visit the AFPERS website at https://gum-crm.csd.disa.mil.