JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON 2016 YEAR IN REVIEW
At Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston in 2016, it was another year of notable accomplishments and new faces in a number of the installation’s leadership roles.
Brooke Army Medical Center began 2016 by once again distinguishing itself as the flagship in military medicine, receiving the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval. This means the Department of Defense’s only Level 1 trauma center was recognized for its compliance with the commission’s standards for health care quality and safety.
U.S. Army North (Fifth Army) saw new leaders in its top positions, first with Brig. Gen. James Blackburn taking over as deputy commanding general in January and later with Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan as commanding general and Senior Commander of Fort Sam Houston and Camp Bullis in August. Buchanan replaced Lt. Gen. Perry Wiggins, who retired from the Army.
At the U.S. Army Medical Command, Lt. Gen. Nadja West received her third star and became MEDCOM commander and the Army’s surgeon general in February.
Also in February, VIA Metropolitan Transit celebrated their continued support to Joint Base San Antonio’s Public/ Private Community Partnership Initiative at VIA headquarters Feb. 8 with a new “Active Duty, Active Of Thanks” initiative.
A musical interlude came in March, when the 323rd Army Band’s woodwind quintet was named the Army’s top woodwind ensemble in the Musical Performance Team of the Year com¬petition. The quintet received the honor for their perfor¬mance of a Beethoven piano sonata arranged for woodwind quintet.
BAMC also saw a new leader come in, with Col. Jeffrey J. Johnson assuming command from Col. Evan M. Renz during a cere¬mony at the San Antonio Military Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston April 1. Johnson would receive his first star in July.
The “new BAMC,” as their current location is sometimes known, celebrated its 20th anniversary in April. BAMC’s history dates back to 1879 when the first post hospital opened as a small medi¬cal dispensary located in a single story wooden building on then-Fort Sam Houston. Following years of planning and construc¬tion, on July 18, 1995, the new seven-story medical center built on the eastern edge of the installation was turned over to the BAMC commander and on March 16, 1996, the new facility was official¬ly dedicated.
JBSA-Fort Sam Houston was also the location for new leadership for the 502nd Air Base Wing and JBSA Aug. 5, when Brig. Gen. Heather L. Pringle succeeded Brig. Gen. Bob LaBrutta, who had served for more than three years. LaBrutta, now a major general, went on to become the commander of 2nd Air Force at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss.
On the medical training side of JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, the Medical Education and Training Campus saw a new leader in August when Army Col. Jack Davis took over as the fourth commandant of the multi-service military medical school, replacing Air Force Col. Robert I. Miller. At the U.S. Army Medical Department Center & School, Maj. Gen. Brian C. Lein took over for Maj. Gen. Steve Jones.
U.S. Army South wrapped up its annual U.S. Southern Command-sponsored exercise, Fuerzas Aliadas PANAMA 2016 in August, which focused on ensuring the security of the Panama Canal and the surround¬ing region Aug. 4 at Fort Sam Houston. This year’s exercise began July 29 and, in addition to the Multi- National Forces-South, or MNFS, component located in San Antonio, was conducted simulta¬neously in Miami, Fla.; Suffolk, Va.; Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Ariz.; and in Santiago, Chile.
Commonly known as PANAMAX, the exercise brings together sea, air and land forces in a joint and combined operation focused on defending the Panama Canal from attacks by a violent extremist organization, as well as responding to natural disasters and pandemic outbreaks in various locations.
In September, 15 Navy Medicine Petty Officers First Class and an Army Sergeant First Class reached the pin¬nacle of their careers during a unique promo¬tion ceremony held at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston Sept. 16.
Also in September, Army South stayed busy as they were part of the Conference of the American Armies, which met in Bogata, Colombia, Sept. 19-23.
Local Navy commands, including the Navy Medicine Education and Training Command, Navy Medicine Training Support Center, Navy Recruiting District-San Antonio, Naval Medical Research Unit-San Antonio, Navy Operational Support Center, Defense Health Agency, Naval Technical Training Center-Lackland and Naval Health Clinic Corpus Christi-San Antonio Detachment, came together in downtown San Antonio Oct. 15 to celebrate the 241st Navy birthday.
The top medics in the Army met in competition Oct. 25-27 at JBSA-Camp Bullis for the annual Best Medic Competition. Held annually in one form or another since the 1980s, the competition tests Army medics from across the country with various tasks that require feats of physical and emotional strength and call upon their critical thinking skills as they competed for the Command Sgt. Maj. Jack L. Clark trophy.
As part of their involvement with nations in the southern hemisphere, leaders from U.S. Army South, including Maj. Gen. K.K. Chinn, ARSOUTH commanding general, began bilateral staff talks with Chilean army leaders Oct. 24 in Santiago, Chile, in order to promote the professional partnership and interaction between the two armies.
Secretary of Defense Ash Carter visited BAMC Nov. 16 as part of a visit to JBSA, where he personally thanked wounded and ill service members and their families along with BAMC staff for their service and sacrifice.
Leaders from the 410th Contracting Support Brigade, or CSB, cased their organizational colors during a ceremony Nov. 16 at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston in preparation for the brigade’s deployment to Qatar and Afghanistan to assume the command and control element of Expeditionary Contract¬ing Command-Afghanistan in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel in December.
In December, AMEDD-TV, the televised media arm of the U.S. Army Medical Department, celebrated 50 years of telling the AMEDD story and providing the techni¬cal expertise to document and transmit AMEDD medical his¬tory and training in multimedia formats.
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND 2016 YEAR IN REVIEW
Innovation and increasing effectiveness were the themes of Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in 2016, as the year recently closed out.
Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James visited the 319th Training Squadron Basic Expeditionary Airmen Skills Training site, a part of basic military training where more than 35,000 Airmen learn to operate and survive in a deployed environment annually, to view the newly constructed Forward Operating Base of the Future March. 22, 2016.
The FOB of the Future refers to the section of the BEAST site where several structures rely solely on solar power technologies, reducing the use of non-renewable energy used at the site. The project was developed and executed by the Air Force Research Lab’s Advanced Power Technology Office as an initiative of the U.S. Air Force Energy Strategic Plan, which seeks to improve resiliency, reduce demand and foster an energy aware culture.
The SECAF praised the ingenuity and efforts of the AFRL and the 319th TRS for their work in reducing the Air Force’s dependence on non-renewable energy.
“Through renewable and advanced energy technologies, we can ensure our bases have the power to execute their missions, even when traditional energy resources are disrupted,” James said. “The same technologies, self-sustaining approach, and energy-aware culture we’re demonstrating here at BEAST are just as important across all our bases.”
If proved to be successful over the one year trial which will end soon, the project will be considered to expand across the Air Force at other deployed locations across the globe. The use of the solar panels in deployed locations will significantly reduce the amount fuel required, saving fuel transportation costs, according to the AFRL.
Also at JBSA-Lackland, for the first time in U.S. military history, the first unit solely dedicated to train the service’s ground component was activated June 2, 2016.
The 350th Battlefield Airman Training Group activation streamlined training for the Air Force's conventional and special operations ground forces which include combat controllers, pararescuemen, special operations weathermen and tactical air control party Airmen.
“Much like when the Air Force separated from the Army in 1947 to have Airmen lead air power, this allows Battlefield Airmen leaders to lead Battlefield Airmen training across the entire enterprise,” said Col. Ronald Stenger, the inaugural commander of the BA TG and special tactics officer. “Our mission at the Battlefield Airmen Training Group is to select, train and mentor Airmen for global combat operations.”
The activation of the group and squadrons will reduce costs and increase efficiencies across the pipeline to produce highly-qualified Battlefield Airmen, cutting the training locations from 16 sites to eight. The squadrons consolidate and organize already existing training courses under BA leadership.
Continuing the theme of increasing effectiveness, the Transportation Security Authority Canine Training Center opened at JBSA-Lackland March 4, 2016. The opening of the 25,000 square foot facility increases TSA’s ability to train and deploy more than 250 law enforcement-led canine teams.
The new facility houses seven classrooms and 13 indoor venues that mimic various transportation sites such as a cargo facility, an airport gate, a checkpoint, a baggage claim area, the interior of an aircraft, a vehicle parking lot, a light rail car and an air cargo facility.
The TSA mission has been directly supported by JBSA-Lackand since its creation, as the 341st Training Squadron is the home of the Department of Defense Military Working Dog school and supplies all DoD agencies with trained MDWs. The new location increased the amount of dogs and teams readily available to support security initiatives nationwide.
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH 2016 YEAR IN REVIEW
The United States secretary of defense and Air Force chief of staff visited Joint Base Antonio-Randolph in 2016, marking an eventful year for the JBSA location.
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter’s participation in a T-1A Jayhawk orientation flight at JBSA-Randolph Nov. 16 wrapped up a day that also included a presentation to Air Force basic military training trainees at JBSA-Lackland and a visit to Brooke Army Medical Center at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston.
Air Force Chief of Staff David L. Goldfein met Aug. 23 with commanders of two JBSA mission partners at JBSA-Randolph before discussing the Air Force’s challenges and opportunities in a keynote address the next day at a downtown San Antonio hotel.
Other noteworthy events in 2016 included the ramping-up of the number of students enrolled in remotely piloted aircraft pilot training classes and the construction of a combatives training facility for the 902nd Security Forces Squadron.
Goldfein, an Air Force Academy graduate who formerly served as commander of the U.S. Air Forces Central Command in Southwest Asia, discussed critical Air Force personnel programs and Airmen and family programs with Maj. Gen. Peggy Poore, Air Force Personnel Center commander, during a visit on Aug. 23.
That same day, Goldfein received information from Maj. Gen. Garrett Harencak, Air Force Recruiting Service commander, and other officials on recruitment methods and the challenges facing careers such as medical, engineering and special operations.
“This is about opening the door for people to come in,” Goldfein said during his visit. “This is the greatest treasure in the nation’s arsenal, our young men and women that we bring in.”
Goldfein’s trip to San Antonio concluded with his keynote address at the Air Force Sergeants Association Professional Airmen’s Conference and International Convention Aug. 24.
Also during 2016, the 558th Flying Training Squadron at JBSA-Randolph doubled the size of its RPA pilot training classes from 12 to 24 students to meet an Air Force initiative to increase the number of RPA pilots across the service.
“The RPA community as a whole is experiencing manpower issues, and there is a need to train more pilots to help ease the overall strain on the career field,” Lt. Col. John Stallworth, 558th FTS commander, said in January 2016. “We have worked diligently since last April to ensure we can meet the increased demand for trained ‘18X’ pilots.”
The RPA program also received a boost during 2016 when the first enlisted members – three master sergeants and one technical sergeant – started RPA pilot training as the Enlisted Pilot Initial Class at the 558th FTS.
Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James met with the students when they were still attending the Air Force’s Initial Flight Training school at Pueblo Memorial Airport in Pueblo, Colo., in October.
“The integration of enlisted RPA pilots in RQ-4 Global Hawk operations is part of a broader effort to meet the continual RPA demands of combatant commanders in the field, ensuring they are provided with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities in their areas of responsibilities worldwide,” she said.
Members of the 902nd SFS at JBSA-Randolph, who previously had to travel to JBSA-Lackland for mandatory combatives training, started training at their own home in Hangar 52 in 2016.
The squadron’s combat arms section constructed the combatives room, a 30-by-30-foot protective cage with vinyl-coated chain-link fencing, padded support posts and a thick gym mat.
“I think the combatives room is a great tool for defenders to add to their toolkit,” said Tech. Sgt. Johnathan Kuenzli, 902nd SFS Combat Arms NCO in charge. “You never know when you might have to wrestle someone off you; it could be the difference between life and death.”