OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. -- The 55th Wing continues planning for its A-Staff with a goal of hitting Initial Operational Capability in September.
In fall 2021, Air Combat Command directed all its wings to stand up an A-Staff as part of its overall Combat Air Forces transformation.
An A-Staff is a flat organizational staffing structure that will be used in conjunction with current groups and squadrons to expedite the speed of decision making and better prepare wings to integrated into the joint environment
“In order to prepare us for a battlespace which is completely different than what we’ve experienced over the past two decades, ACC is undergoing a huge evolution that enables our wings to max perform,” said Col. Kristen Thompson, 55th Wing commander. “One of the most visible changes will be the stand-up of fulltime A-Staffs working alongside existing groups.”
The need to operate in a joint military environment has been recognized since Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
“An A-Staff is used to identify our component staff equivalents more easily, as this is a structure used by all branches of the military,” said Lt. Col. Andrew Glass, 55th Wing chief of staff. “For example, A1 is where you will find our manpower, personnel and services members, just like you would with our sister services.”
In addition, as one of five lead wings in ACC’s new Combat Air Force’s Force Generation model, or CAFFORGEN, an A-Staff will help the wing build sustainable, high-end readiness.
“Our A-Staff will ensure our wing can rapidly deploy in the Available phase of the CAFFORGEN model as we will have already built that continuity in-garrison during the Reset, Prepare and Ready phases,” Thompson said. “The A-Staff ultimately supports rapid decision making, maximizes responsiveness, streamlines administrative processes for both crisis response and day-to-day operations, and further improves joint integration.”
The A-Staff will not be replacing the wing’s groups or squadrons and the day-to-day operations of the wing will not be changing.
“The A-Staff’s goal is simply to ensure the Fightin’ Fifty-Fifth is always ready to respond to a crisis at a moment’s notice,” Glass said.