LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
Joint basing and the recent activation of the 802nd Mission Support Group, as part of the new 502nd Air Base Wing, realigned several 37th Training Wing staff agencies in a move to maximize operational training and support missions throughout the base.
A senior Lackland official said the 37th TRW retained positions in agencies that are specific to the training mission, while mission support roles reorganized Feb. 2 under the 502nd ABW, commanded by Brig. Gen. Leonard Patrick and headquartered at Fort Sam Houston.
"For most people, the transition is seamless," said Steve Arrington, executive operations support officer for the 37th TRW. "Who they work for has changed, but where they work and what they do remains the same. The changes that occurred have to do with the changes in the number of personnel supporting missions in the 37th and 502nd.
"The name changes on the door but function doesn't - it doesn't change one bit."
The restructuring relates to Joint Base San Antonio. The 502nd ABW assumed support functions Feb. 2 with the activation of the 802nd MSG at Lackland and the 902nd MSG at Randolph Air Force Base. Support functions at Fort Sam Houston are scheduled to move under the 502nd ABW in April.
Those moves fulfill 2005 Base Realignment and Closure legislation requiring military support functions in San Antonio to align under JBSA in order to achieve efficiencies and generate future cost savings for the military.
"The objective was to leave sufficient assets in each area to support the (37th TRW) mission where necessary and provide sufficient resources to support the air base wing," Mr. Arrington said. "The agencies were split based on the individual needs of the two organizations."
Agencies and the number of positions retained to support the 37th TRW mission were public affairs, two; protocol, four; inspector general, two; plans and programs, eight; and safety, five. The remaining positions in those agencies realigned to the air base wing with most becoming 502nd ABW Operating Location Alpha.
Staff agencies transitioning completely under 502nd ABW were the chaplain corps, the equal opportunity office, the sexual assault and prevention office, installation protection and the exercise evaluation team.
Additionally at this time, four attorneys from the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate have joined the 502nd ABW staff, while the remainder of the office has realigned under the 802nd MSG.
"The 502nd functions in a support capacity as the 37th used to function," said Mr. Arrington. "(The 502nd ABW) is the installation command element; the difference is they (will have) three different bases to support.
"Our (37th TRW) mission requirement has changed but it's changed because of BRAC law," he said. "Before joint base occurred, our mission was not only training but also support. So part of that mission (support function) has been pulled away and consolidated with the (502nd) air base wing."
The 502nd ABW, with its three geographically separated support functions which compose JBSA, will be the largest of the 12 joint bases in the Department of Defense. The 502nd ABW will support more than 80,000 full-time military and civilian employees at the three installations, and almost 140,000 students in training each year.