JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
As part of Air Education and Training Command’s support of the nation’s nuclear deterrence strategy, personnel from across the U.S. Air Force attended the 4th annual AETC Personnel Reliability Assurance Program (PRAP) Workshop in San Antonio May 14-16, 2024.
Hosted by the HQ AETC/A3/6 Nuclear Integration branch, the event was an educational and interactive workshop for medical professionals, defense force commanders, installation and unit monitors, and first sergeants who execute key PRAP functions, focused on foundational principles, step-by-step daily operations, and practice updates.
“The workshop helps prepare attendees to manage unit level programs to ensure personnel have been properly screened and accepted to execute or support the nuclear mission,” said Maj. Camyla Joule, AETC’s Nuclear Integration Medical PRAP functional manager. “At the end of the day, the program objective is to select and maintain only reliable individuals to perform duties within the nuclear weapons enterprise, and this workshop helps the Air Force do just that.”
Multiple speakers presented during the event to attendees from AETC, Air Combat Command, Air Force Material Command, Air Mobility Command and Pacific Air Forces, including Michael Morris, the Air Force Personnel Center’s senior advisor on nuclear integration, as well as Marshall Fiscus, an AETC nuclear certification training program analyst. Lt. Col. Clifford Piernick, 802nd Security Forces Squadron commander and the AFPC PRAP administrative qualification central cell, also briefed during the workshop.
The workshop also provided updates tied to the recent release of the new version of DODM 5210.42_DAFMAN 13-501, Nuclear Weapons Personnel Reliability Program, and targeted the two branches of PRAP, which are the Personnel Reliability Program (PRP) and Arming and Use of Force (AUoF) Program.
The AETC Nuclear Integration branch administers and oversees PRAP personnel, medical policy, and execution for 14 AETC wings, as well as Basic Military Training (BMT), Officer Training School (OTS), the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA), 145 Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) detachments and four ROTC regions.
It’s no easy task ensuring Airmen are ready to transition from training to the operational environment in the nuclear arena.
“Across AETC, units average 2,500 PRP packages annually, and we support over 6,000 SF Defenders,” said Jennifer Fontenot, AETC Nuclear Integration PRAP manager. “This requires coordination within AETC, as well as multiple major commands, to ensure a smooth permanent change of station for First-Term Airmen and a smoother receiving process for the operational units who gain them.”