DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and local partners are finding new ways to share resources, programs, facilities and expertise, strengthening the community while building a more ready force.
The effort is taking shape through the Department of the Air Force Community Partnership Program, which brings Davis-Monthan together with local government, higher education and other community organizations to identify projects where collaboration can benefit everyone involved.
A key outcome of this meeting was the formal inclusion of Pima County College in the program.
One of the most visible steps forward is an expansion of the group’s memorandum of understanding, originally established in 2012. The updated memo would add Pima Community College as a formal partner, broadening the partnership’s ability to connect Davis-Monthan with local education and workforce-development resources.
“The ultimate intent of this is, if the county, the city or anybody has a specific project or something that they want to work, bring that to the table so that we can all see where we may be able to play and plug into that,” said Darin Gregg, 355th Wing director of staff and community partnership coordinator.
The partnership is currently working to produce practical opportunities for the next generation of workers. Davis-Monthan is developing internship and summer-hire programs aimed at creating a pipeline of local talent into civilian careers on the installation. The base surveyed its units to identify positions that could support interns and received interest from 14 squadrons or units, with nine identifying the resources needed to host an intern.
The internship program encompasses nearly 50 degree fields and is designed to connect students with meaningful work experience while helping the base address gaps in the civilian workforce and hard-to-fill technical positions. The program benefits more than just DM.
“Traditionally, almost 70% of graduates who have a job at graduation have an existing relationship with the employer, whether it was an internship or a shadow program,” said Julie Katsel, University of Arizona executive director of community relations. “Internships are beneficial for the students for so many reasons, including the likelihood of employment.”
DM is also exploring summer-hire opportunities for high school and college students, with positions spanning food service, administration and medical support. The program is intended to not only recruit future employees, but also to show local students and residents that military installations offer a broad range of civilian career opportunities.
Through these programs, Davis-Monthan is working with local workforce-development partners to help prospective applicants understand the federal hiring process, including how to navigate USAJobs, which connects prospective applicants with job opportunities in the federal workforce.
The educational pipeline extends beyond internships and summer hires. Partners discussed opportunities to connect Davis-Monthan with Pima Community College, technical programs and health sciences programs, creating pathways into specialized careers where the installation and the local economy both need qualified workers.
The partnership also supports veterans transition programs, where county personnel work with active-duty service members, separating military personnel and military spouses to connect them with employment opportunities and community resources.
Shared training resources offer another example of the partnership in action. One of the most prominent is the Arizona Simulation Technology and Education Center, or ASTEC, at the University of Arizona. The approximately 30,000-square-foot facility provides immersive simulation capabilities for military, law enforcement, health care and emergency-response training. Davis-Monthan pararescuemen, or PJs, use ASTEC to sharpen the skills needed for rescue missions, while other agencies throughout Southern Arizona use the center to prepare for emergencies in a controlled, realistic environment.
“This is an extraordinary partnership with Davis-Monthan,” said Katsel. “The PJs are training here as well as many federal law enforcement agencies, county, public health, most of the hospitals, emergency responders.”
During the partnership engagement, Davis-Monthan personnel also toured ASTEC, providing them a firsthand look the simulation capabilities available to the installation’s rescue forces and the broader community.
Seeing the shared training environment highlighted the larger value of the partnership: Resources developed for one organization can strengthen preparedness across the region.
The same principle applies to emergency response. Pima County representatives described ongoing coordination with Davis-Monthan’s fire department and emergency-management personnel, including participation in training exercises and shared communications systems that help agencies connect during emergencies.
“We appreciate the ability to come out onto the base and interact and just talk about training exercises and compare our emergency management,” said Carmine DeBonis, Pima County deputy county administrator. “We similarly participate in training exercises and other coordinations to make sure that we are as prepared as we can be.”
For Davis-Monthan, these relationships are about more than improving the installation’s ability to operate. They also contribute to the long-term strength and stability of the community surrounding the base.
As the partnership progresses, participants are looking beyond simply maintaining existing relationships. The goal is to identify concrete projects and use the partnership to turn shared ideas into action. For Davis-Monthan and Tucson, that means recognizing that readiness does not stop at the installation gates.
By sharing training facilities, developing education and employment pipelines, coordinating emergency response and working together on regional challenges, DM and its community partners are investing in the same outcome: a stronger Southern Arizona community and a more capable, prepared force.
| Date Taken: |
07.29.2026 |
| Date Posted: |
08.05.2026 21:49 |
| Story ID: |
571697 |
| Location: |
TUCSON, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: |
23 |
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0 |
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This work, Davis-Monthan, Tucson partners strengthen readiness through shared resources, by SrA Jasmyne Bridgers-Matos, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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