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AGR helps PERSCO keep accountability at TCM
Posted 3/5/2013 Updated 3/5/2013
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3/5/2013 - TRANSIT CENTER AT MANAS, Kyrgyzstan -- Accountability in any contingency operation is a top priority - commanders need to know how many troops they have and their skills in order to effectively accomplish the mission.
At the Transit Center at Manas, accountability is the responsibility of the 376th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron Personnel Support for Contingency Operations section, or PERSCO.
"Our number one job is accounting for every person who comes through here," said Senior Master Sgt. Demarcus Tate, PERSCO team chief.
As a hub for traffic in and out of Afghanistan, the Transit Center sees a lot of people. On average, the PERSCO team briefs approximately 23,000 transient personnel each month. Whether they are staying for a few hours or a few days, the team briefs every transient on the policies in place and vital information to know during their stay at the Transit Center. Working with the Joint Movement Control Center, the agency who coordinates onward movement for transient personnel, to account for every person, the PERSCO teams scan every Airman's identification card into the Air Force's accountability system known as Deliberate and Crisis Action Planning and Execution System, or DCAPES.
"DCAPES allow us to track personnel," said Staff Sgt. Luis Fernando Sierra, PERSCO DCAPES operator. "We need to know where our personnel are at any given point so a commander knows who he has to support the mission."
While transient personnel may not be supporting a specific mission at the Transit Center, accounting for them while they are awaiting further transportation plays an important role.
"There are so many people coming out and going down to Afghanistan to so many different bases, it's important to have someone account for them midway on their trip and get eyes on," said Master Sgt. Aisha Mayes, PERSCO superintendent, who is an AGR assigned to the Readiness Management Group, Robins AFB, Ga. "The Transit Center is a stop for them where we can account for everyone, allow them to rest for a while, make sure they have what they need, and solve any issues before they move on."
PERSCO is much more than accounting for transient personnel. It also involves accounting and assisting with administrative actions for permanent party assigned to the Transit Center.
Similar to transient personnel, permanent party Airmen receive a briefing upon their arrival at the Transit Center. Their identification cards are collected and the Airmen are emigrated into the country. The PERSCO team also collects the Airmen's mobility folders for review to ensure all the required documents are included.
Even with permanent party, accountability is important. PERSCO accounts for every Airman assigned on a daily basis. Whether it's just going off base for a few hours on a cultural trip, or going on temporary duty downrange for a few weeks, PERSCO must account for personnel at all times. This means Airmen need to ensure they check in and out with PERSCO before going anywhere.
"For us to have our system 100 percent, we depend on the member to tell us when they are going somewhere," said Sierra, who is deployed from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. "It's not only important to out-process here, but to also in-process when you get where you are going. If something was to happen and we don't know where the person is, it really can slow down the notification process."
In addition to accountability, the PERSCO team can assist with a limited number of personnel sustainment actions, such as reenlistments, extensions and reissue of identification cards. While they may not be able to assist in accomplishing further personnel actions, they can certainly advise and point Airmen in the right direction for more information.
Perhaps one of the more valuable personnel functions in PERSCO is manpower. Master Sgt. Leonard Green is the sole manpower analyst for the Transit Center.
"Manpower's job is to plan who gets here before they even come," said Green. "Similar to [Air Force Smart Operations for the 21th Century], manpower makes sure the right people are in the right job."
In his role, Green assists commanders and functional area managers to identify skill-level needs, training requirements and line remarks. He's assisted nearly every squadron on the Transit Center submit change requests as personnel requirements have changed with the mission.
Whether it's accountability, sustainment actions, or manpower changes, the PERSCO team keeps busy and gets the job done.
"I've been doing this for 24 years and this is the best team I've ever had. The maturity levels are high and they are all go-getters," said Tate. "They know what it means if you lose accountability of one person - it's so important."
Mayes stressed the importance of the teamwork in a location as busy as the Transit Center.
"This is the biggest team I've ever been on and we're tracking a lot more personnel," she said. "Everyone contributes and plays a part in making sure everything gets passed on. If we don't work together, the mission suffers."
(Article written by Tech. Sgt. Rachel Martinez, 376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs)
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