Return of the orderly room?

[deskjockey]

This almost belongs in the WTF thread because it is so out of character for our fearless leaders- the Air Force is actually fixing something it messed up almost a decade ago. I am both impressed and scared this will be messed up somehow.

From the AF Force development Facebook page:

SQUADRON SUPPORT--HELP IS ON THE WAY: As you may be aware, the Air Force is continually looking at how to best provide support to our commanders and Airmen. Accordingly, our efforts led us to move additional support back to the squadron level in the form of Unit Orderly Rooms. When fully implemented, a typical squadron will have support staff with at least one personnel specialist and one administrative/knowledge operations manager. Larger squadrons will also have additional personnel and administrative specialists to include unit training managers and full time unit deployment managers. Group staffs will include an administrative/knowledge operations manager and a resource advisor. We are confident the reestablishment of the Orderly Room will go a long way to allow our Squadron Commander and First Sergeants to focus on the mission while simultaneously ensuring superior support to our Airmen in these critical programs.

While many of details are still being worked, anticipate smaller units receiving help first beginning in FY13.

[Breckey]

Wonder how many of the additional duties they will take over?

[raimius]

Having been at a unit that had a civilian in the squadron working a lot of the finance and personnel stuff for students, it ran a whole lot better than other places I've seen. I wasn't around for the old system, but having local experts seems like a much better idea than what we have now.

[Bergman]

This is great news! Really.

[GoAround]

At the very least the new support staff should take over RA duties, DTS auth/approvals, and in/out processing, along with OPR/EPR routing.

[czecksikhs]

These new squadron orderly rooms will just be hitting their stride when some new boy wonder commander gets OPR fodder by cutting them to save money, if this plan isn't just a cruel joke to begin with.

[Apollo]

These new squadron orderly rooms will just be hitting their stride when some new boy wonder commander gets OPR fodder by cutting them to save money, if this plan isn't just a cruel joke to begin with.

That's the spirit! Jesus, people bitch when bad decisions are made. People bitch when good decisions are made. A lot of problems in the air force would be fixed if people just worked to make things better for their bros instead of crying all the time about how crappy things are.

[Karl Hungus]

This is great news. Seriously. And it needs to get to the squadrons ASAP.

There are a lot of folks who are completely fed up with our bullshit admin workload at the squadron level. This is exactly the type of simple fix that can get someone on the fence to re-think their exit strategy.

[HU&W]

That all checks with the Corona notes. Lots of good changes coming our way (if implemented as discussed).

[17D_guy]

That all checks with the Corona notes. Lots of good changes coming our way (if implemented as discussed).

So... can I get a copy of those?

Last ones I saw had the original version of the Creed - '07ish. I'll just say hate what we got, but be thankful they changed it.

[The Texan]

This almost belongs in the WTF thread because it is so out of character for our fearless leaders- the Air Force is actually fixing something it messed up almost a decade ago. I am both impressed and scared this will be messed up somehow.

From the AF Force development Facebook page:

SQUADRON SUPPORT--HELP IS ON THE WAY: As you may be aware, the Air Force is continually looking at how to best provide support to our commanders and Airmen. Accordingly, our efforts led us to move additional support back to the squadron level in the form of Unit Orderly Rooms. When fully implemented, a typical squadron will have support staff with at least one personnel specialist and one administrative/knowledge operations manager. Larger squadrons will also have additional personnel and administrative specialists to include unit training managers and full time unit deployment managers. Group staffs will include an administrative/knowledge operations manager and a resource advisor. We are confident the reestablishment of the Orderly Room will go a long way to allow our Squadron Commander and First Sergeants to focus on the mission while simultaneously ensuring superior support to our Airmen in these critical programs. Shit wasn't broke before we fixed it, and it worked really well. So, we're going back to that.

While many of details are still being worked, anticipate smaller units receiving help first beginning in FY13.

[Snooter]

Thank the Lord! Maybe this logical thinking will become contagious!

[frog]

I hate to break up the good time, but I think this is a pipe dream. Sure, it sounds great. But you can't just bring back all of those people who used to work in the squadrons because they no longer exist. As support manning was cut to pay for new weapons systems in the out years, the authorizations were eliminated and people were shown the door. Moving people back to the squadron is going to deplete what is left of comm, MPF, etc. Your shit still isn't going to get done, the backlog will just be in a different place. I'm not sure if the flying squadrons used to have personnel officers sit in the squadron as section commanders since they are relatively small, but large squadrons did. Those fellas got the axe...there is no way to bring them back. The same is true for many other support functions, and it's about to get even worse with the current budget cuts.

Bottom line: The Air Force cut manning to buy expensive stuff in the out years. We've been paying the price, and it's about to get much, MUCH worse. Only time will tell if that trade was a smart decision. Either way, the decision was made long ago and now we get to live with it.

Full disclosure, I'm a support guy (CE). If you think service is bad now, wait for another year or two. The support capabilities within your wing have already been cut drastically, and what is left is about to be decimated.

Edited August 2, 2012 by frog

[zach braff]

But you can't just bring back all of those people who used to work in the squadrons because they no longer exist.

Bottom line: The Air Force cut manning to buy expensive stuff in the out years. We've been paying the price, and it's about to get much, MUCH worse. Only time will tell if that trade was a smart decision. Either way, the decision was made long ago and now we get to live with it.

Full disclosure, I'm a support guy (CE). If you think service is bad now, wait for another year or two. The support capabilities within your wing have already been cut drastically, and what is left is about to be decimated.

On the comm side they're making a huge cut to the KMer AFSC and converting many of them back to Personnel to support this initiative. I think it makes sense - I don't think Knowledge Management quite worked out the way big blue intended it.

zb

[frog]

On the comm side they're making a huge cut to the KMer AFSC and converting many of them back to Personnel to support this initiative. I think it makes sense - I don't think Knowledge Management quite worked out the way big blue intended it.

zb

Good info, thanks.

[guineapigfury]

Is this going to be uniformed personnel or are we getting 1-2 civilians per squadron? My previous squadron had 2 civilians and it made life much better, not least because they were never TDY.

[Chida]

I could see them hiring a bunch of reservist IMAs. Is that a possibility to get support back without breaking the bank?

[Champ Kind]

Thank fucking God, but I'll believe it when I see it.

[pawnman]

So we're getting "one personnel specialist and one administrative/knowledge operations manager". I suppose I shouldn't hold my breath for a finance specialist, since that seems to be the larger issue for most folks than MPF...but may "administrative operations manager" will cover that sort of thing.

[17D_guy]

I suppose I shouldn't hold my breath for a finance specialist...

Were Finance Amn ever in the Sq's? I've been in since '99 and we had Personnel/Knowledge, but never finance. Ops different in this? I assume you don't mean RA's.

Comm took some huge cuts, pushed admin work the the different Sq's, then decided that wasn't secure and pulled it back to the Comm Sq.. without increasing manning. Now they're getting rid of the Amn we used for Administrator work? Enjoy your 3 days of broke computers.

[Homestar]

What does a "knowledge operations manager" do?

[B.L]

Enjoy your 3 days of broke computers.

So the time it takes to fix a computer is going to improve? Sweet!

Ha I keed I keed!

Cheers. BL

[FallingOsh]

Thank the Lord! Maybe this logical thinking will become contagious!

Agreed.

It kills me that after several years, I STILL have to explain to people on the phone that I don't have a squadron orderly room or comm guy to help me. Happened again last month.

[czecksikhs]

That's the spirit! Jesus, people bitch when bad decisions are made. People bitch when good decisions are made. A lot of problems in the air force would be fixed if people just worked to make things better for their bros instead of crying all the time about how crappy things are.

A baking powder? I think that if this decision is actually funded, staffed, and carried out, it would be marvelous. No shit. I also think that, in the days of PBD 720 and budget stress, there are a lot more ways that this can fail than succeed.

How would you "make things better" for your bros WRT admin/personnel functions within the squadron?

[17D_guy]

What does a "knowledge operations manager" do?

When I was in "real Comm" they made SharePoint pages.... and back filled the post office.

We could yank some for admin duties, though that was a fight with an idea-fairy E8 (now E9) to get done.

It's been awhile since I've looked at their training but I believe they do the SharePoint, and also the file plans. Though I can't be sure.

So the time it takes to fix a computer is going to improve? Sweet!

Ha I keed I keed!

Cheers. BL

No you don't. Half the problem is lack of manning, the other half is lack of training/experience. The final half (what?) is that people think it's magic and "us nerds" should just be able to make it work. If only CE had the same expectations we do.