507th Air Refueling Wing beings new partnership

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Rich Curry
  • 507th Air Refueling Wing
The 507th Air Refueling Wing begins a new partnership in August when members of the Oklahoma Air National Guard team up for the drill weekend.
   With this action, the 507th ARW will become the first Air Force Reserve Command wing to have an Air National Guard wing associated with it.
   Approximately eight Oklahoma Air National Guard aircrew members are part of an initial cadre working side-by-side with their Reserve hosts to stand up associate operations.
   As a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process, the 137th Airlift Wing at Will Rogers World Airport lost their C-130 Hercules aircraft and converted to a KC-135 Stratotanker associate unit with the 507th ARW.
   Under this associate organization, the 507th ARW is the host wing with all 12 aircraft owned by AFRC. The Oklahoma Air National Guard will maintain separate administrative and operational control, but be associated with the 507th ARW, working together to fly and maintain all aircraft. For deployable tasking, both the 507th ARW and 137th AW will function with six primary aircraft assigned.
   "When you think about it, starting this associate relationship is pretty exciting," said Col. Jeffrey R. Glass, 507th ARW commander. "We're part of a DOD-wide Total Force Initiative reorganization. We're going to show that our air reserve component mix will be just as viable and beneficial to national defense."   
   According to an April 2007 Site Activation Task Force report, the main body of aircrew and maintenance personnel should begin arriving before the end of the year. To facilitate the three month field maintenance cross training process, the wing relocated two KC-135 aircraft to Will Rogers Airport. Once the OKANG aircrew and maintenance personnel finish transferring to Tinker, they'll begin a seasoning process of working and flying the KC-135.
   Operationally, the 507th will receive 2,500 annual flying hours and the 137th will receive 1,800. To support this allocation, flying is anticipated to rise to six sorties a day, three-turn-three, by late 2007. Regarding future manpower and unit manning document positions, no changes have been made to the UMD and, as of this article, no major changes are pending.
   "We do expect that our wing manning will likely change as a result of this process," Col. Glass said. "We're waiting for the AMC Roadmap process sometime this fall to see what needs to be done."
   The colonel assured wing reservists that transition groups would be created to support future manning changes.
   "We will work hard to take care of our members and help them through this process, whether they decide to cross-train, relocate or take a different path," he said.
   Of immediate concern as additional personnel arrive at the wing is where to put them.
   The BRAC process requires funding two facility projects -- expanding the fuel hydrant systems and build a joint squadron operations and life support building -- but construction has not begun on either. In the meantime, portable buildings are slated to be established to house non-maintenance sections currently located in the primary maintenance hangar building.
   Some renovations have already occurred to vacate offices within the operations building to accommodate arriving ANG aircrew. Ultimately, once the joint squadron operations building is constructed -- estimated to occur in fiscal 2009 -- all operations functions will move to their new building and current operations building will be renovated as the future building for all mission support group functions.
   Additionally, a third maintenance hangar is expected to be funded for construction beginning in fiscal 2009. Other interim operation options also include possible swing space of facilities, or even conducting some operations out of Will Rogers Airport until all the construction is complete.
   "Our reservists there will have to be flexible and work with their interim facility plans until their full-time locations become complete," Col. Glass said.