Air Force grows squadrons in number, capacity

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Austin J. Prisbrey
  • Kirtland PA
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  

Air Force leadership announced in September the need to add 74 operational squadrons in order to meet the National Defense Strategy.

The strategy outlines the projected growth with end strength being achieved by 2030, according to statements made by Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson.  In the near term, Kirtland can expect its squadrons to grow in capacity rather than in number.

“As far as Air Force Global Strike Command and our Wing, we do not have any plans on growing our number of squadrons at this time,” said Chief Master Sgt. Robert Stamper, 377th Air Base Wing Command Chief. “Currently, our plan is just to focus on readiness and lethality and how that delivers our warfighting capabilities.”

Stamper is intimately familiar with the focus on revitalizing the squadron. Before coming to Kirtland in June, he worked as Superintendent, Chief of Staff United States Air Force, Focus Area #1: Revitalizing Air Force Squadrons. Stamper brings unique perspective here as Air Force leadership asks us to grow into the Air Force We Need.

“We have already began to grow our squadrons,” said Stamper. “The first area of growth has been the return of some critical support specialties to the squadron.”

Personnel and administrative specialists, and in some cases, section commanders will be imbedded back into the squadrons command support staff, said Stamper. People filling those positions are going to be a mix of civilian, officer and enlisted.

“The goal is to put the expertise back into the units,” said Stamper. “It is not just the personnel and administrative specialists that we are looking at. Down the road, there is a possibility to increase other specialties such as IT and financial support.”

The chief explained that there are further specialties that could be considered as support elements that could be built up going forward. The process is meant to address the loss of resources and specialties within squadrons during the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Air Force went through a long period of downsizing during this period, said Stamper.

“Over the years, we downsized the force, but not the requirements that were expected from our squadrons,” he said. “Actually, the requirements grew over those years as the force was shrinking.”

Stamper explained that the Air Force is focused on developing and strengthening our leadership teams, and people at Kirtland can expect this impact locally.

“To meet the demands of squadrons, we have to ensure that we have the right people in the right places,” said Stamper. “We have to strengthen our leadership and culture at every echelon, and work on realigning decision authorities at the appropriate levels.”

Whether growth is focused on the number of squadrons overall or the capacity within existing squadrons, development must be guided by understanding the purpose and impact of their missions, according to Stamper.

“I learned at my last job that everything starts with clarity of purpose when it comes to revitalizing the squadron,” said Stamper. “Squadrons need to be clear on the reason why they exist. When a squadron knows their why, they can then connect their Airmen to the mission.”