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Total Force Redefined at Hickam

  • Published
  • By Capt. Ben Sakrisson
  • 15th Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii --  A Memorandum of Understanding was recently signed by the Commanders of the 15th and 154th Wings here that officially formalized their Total Force relationship.

The MOU clarifies the framework and expectations that will govern how our Airmen interact with one another to collectively execute their combined mission in line with the Total Force Integration vision of Gen. Gary North, the Pacific Air Forces Commander.

"This document is the culmination of a groundbreaking effort for Team Hickam," said Col. Sam Barrett, 15th Wing Commander. "It would be difficult to find another example in the Air Force where a Guard and Active Duty Wing are so intertwined and so reliant on each other's strengths in order to complete the mission."

The move towards a TFI war-fighting model acts to assimilate operations, maintenance and support activities between collocated and codependent Active Duty and Guard units in order to make them perform more effectively in day-to-day missions as well as in wartime environments.

"Total Force units like ours harness the strengths of the Air National Guard and Active Duty. Maintaining unity of effort can be a challenge due to separate chains of command, different cultures, and even different work rules," said Brig. Gen. Braden Sakai, 154th Wing commander. "By signing this MOU we are giving our officers, NCOs, and civilians the structure and tools they need to ensure unity of effort in their integrated work force."

The MOU formalizes command relations between the two Wings and provides authority for operational direction for functional supervisors. What this means in practice is that the commanders of the 154th Wing and 15th Wing are enabling unit Airmen to take direction from the functional supervisors appointed over them--whether they are Active Duty or Air National Guard.

"This authority is crucial for ensuring our leaders are empowered and held accountable to effectively employ all of the Airmen working in their shops," said Lt. Col. Stanley Springer, 15th Maintenance Group Deputy Commander, "while providing them clear administrative paths to resolve challenges and care for their personnel."

As noted by commanders and chiefs in both Wings, the MOU is a formal recognition of the processes that service members are already following. The MOU simply provides a basic framework to solve day-to-day and systemic challenges that may be hindering mission execution.

In the end, the MOU will not provide the answers to every problem, but it will give members a viable starting point and pathway to find more efficient and effective solutions.