Manpower flight awarded for flying high in challenging environment Published Dec. 13, 2007 By Capt. Jessica Martin Nellis AFB Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- The 99th Mission Support Squadron's Manpower and Organization Flight recently received the Air Force-level Award for Professional Excellence Flight of the Year. This award recognized the commitment of Air Combat Command's most diverse manpower office, in charge of a warfare center, four wings, one battlelab and numerous tenant units. The flight is called upon to provide optimal resource management and performance through a team of dedicated and trained professionals--they provide commanders options in a continuously downsizing environment, according to their mission statement. On a day-to-day basis, the office is responsible for coordinating all changes from reorganizing units and positions to writing civilian descriptions. They do this through a vast array of taskings, and the Air Force recognizes that they do it well. "We're grateful for the recognition of our hard work; it's a personal validation for each of our staff," said Pamela Jensen, 99th MSS/MOF chief. "We are constantly reacting to environmental changes," she said. "We work 'what-if' scenarios for commanders facing force shaping challenges, reconfigure unit requirements, or alter individual job requirements if a billet cannot be filled." In addition to day-to-day routine issues, the flight is continually working on the Air Force's largest A-76 project, which ultimately serves to find the most efficient way of doing business with the minimum amount of spending--a process whose magnitude helped secure the award. Aside from working issues in existing wings, the flight is responsible for determining correct requirements, establishing the personnel framework and creating position descriptions for new wings standing up--most notably the 432nd Wing at Creech AFB. This entails everyone associated with making up a wing including pilots, maintainers, services, hospital and admistrative personnel, and many others, Ms. Jensen said. Additionally, manpower fulfills wartime deployment needs. The requests come in from combatant commanders and manpower steps in to ensure the tasking is directed to the appropriate unit. "We make sure the right resources are at the right place at the right time," Ms. Jensen said. Manpower is also available to come in and observe a unit and make suggestions for process improvement to stateside commanders at Nellis and Creech who recognize that need. The 99th MSS/MOF received ACC's Award for Professional Excellence Flight of the Year for both 2006 and 2007, and has been awarded ACC Manpower and Organizational Civilian of the Year, Company Grade Officer of the Year, Senior NCO of the Year and NCO of the year multiple times.
