Force management Airmen shape Afghan Air Force for fighting season 2016

HOLLOMAN AFB, NM; RAMSTEIN AB, GERMANY, AFGHANISTAN

10.02.2015

Story by Capt. Edith Sakura 

438th Air Expeditionary Wing

KABUL, Afghanistan – Two senior noncommissioned officers are taking-on the Afghan Air Force’s unit manning document, or Tashkil, to help shape the future of the Afghan National Defense Security Forces, for years to come.

The Tashkil is the Afghan manpower requirements document that identifies what people and resources are needed to sustain the AAF and complete their mission.

Master Sgt. Andrea Brown, Train, Advise, Assist Command – Air (TAAC-Air) force management adviser, said a major advising focus is to prepare for the next fighting season, and ensure the correct mix of operators and maintainers are created in the Tashkil to support the growing capabilities for the AAF.

“The biggest impact is making sure there are positions available for the new (AAF) platforms, such as the MD-530 and A-29,” the Colorado native said. “These capabilities will help them build a more capable and sustainable air force.”

The MD-530 Cayuse Warrior, or “Jengi” in Dari, is a close-air attack aircraft delivered to the AAF in early 2015. It provides critical offensive air-to-ground capability the AAF has been using in current combat operations in eastern and southern provinces in Afghanistan.

TAAC-Air and the AAF are also preparing for the delivery of 20 A-29 Super Tucano counterinsurgency turboprops that will go into the AAF inventory. The aircraft, Afghan pilots, and maintainers are currently at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, completing mission training. The first aircraft are expected to arrive in Afghanistan in early 2016.

We work on the personnel spaces not the faces, said Master Sgt. Neal Harris, TAAC-Air force management adviser.

“In order to have the face for the mission, you have to have the space,” he said. “Whether it is the A-29 mission, the C-130 mission, the aeromedical Evacuation mission, or any mission affecting the (Afghan) fighting season, we manage those requirements.”

Brown, deployed here from Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, said she is glad to have the opportunity to work with the AAF force management team and help shape the manpower for the AAF.

We have asked a lot of them on a very tight schedule to get next year’s Tashkil requests approved, she said.

“They never complained, were open to suggestions, and are invested in making the best air force possible for Afghanistan,” Brown said. “I am extremely proud of the partnership we have with (the AAF force management team).”

The TAAC-Air force management team does more than just advising on a daily basis. They also manage all TAAC-Air U.S. military deployed requirements through Global Force Management; manage NATO coalition requirements; and advise the AAF force management director on Afghan manpower.

“(The toughest part of my job) is balancing the advising side with the staff work,” said Harris who is deployed here from Ramstein Air Base, Germany. “Our manpower job is threefold and I am proud of what we have accomplished in each area. I want people to know we are fighting to make sure the manpower requirements on all sides, to include U.S deployed, NATO coalition, and Afghan personnel, are being taken care of. I myself get frustrated sometimes, but I love manpower.”

A strong team makes the mission possible and we are very fortunate to have our manpower experts Master Sgts. Harris and Brown here, said Maj. Phyllis Pelky, TAAC-Air personnel and manpower deputy chief.

“We must get the right mix of people in theater, and manpower drives that structure,” she said. “They’ve taken the time and effort to build relationships on all fronts: Afghan, coalition, and US. This is especially important in the Afghan culture. It’s because of their relationship with the Force Management Director of the Afghan Air Force, that our inputs were included in the Tashkil, the Afghan manning document. No people, no mission. Know people, know mission.”

• Date Taken: 10.02.2015
• Date Posted: 10.02.2015 06:02
• Story ID: 177832
• Location: HOLLOMAN AFB, NM; RAMSTEIN AB, GERMANY, AF