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AROWS change improves visibility of operational requirements

  • Published
  • By Air Force Reserve Command Public Affairs

Beginning Oct. 1, a new data field will be added to the Air Reserve Orders Writing System that will be used primarily to track military personnel appropriation and other orders for operational requirements.


This new field will be called Air Reserve Component Operational Requirements Tracker or ARCORT. The only orders required to have an ARCORT number will be the following Title 10 activations: full or partial mobilizations, presidential recalls and voluntary (contingency and non-contingency) activations.

 

For these orders, the ARCORT number should be easy to find as it will be in the Manpower MPA Man-Day Management System, known as M4S, and generated on the Air Force Form 49, Application for MPA Man-Day Tour, when the orders are finalized. If in an email notification the ARCORT number is not included, air reserve component members can ask their orders-generating office for the form, and it will have it.

 

The number is part of the change to a mission or operational requirements focused way of documenting and resourcing air reserve component utilization for Air Force missions. This change is directed by a program guidance letter issued by the Air Force chief of staff to improve the service’s visibility on operational requirements.


The new ARCORT data field for AROWS will link requirement documentation to requirement execution, providing the Air Force visibility over ARC operational utilization.


This shift to an operational requirements focused strategy for ARC utilization has been led by Maj. Gen. Vincent Mancuso, mobilization assistant to the Air Force chief of staff.


“Just like you might use the memo field on a personal check to create sub-totals of personal expenses, ARCORT will allow the director of operations to maintain visibility of the operational execution on various mission areas,” Mancuso said.


“The intent of putting the ARCORT number in AROWS is to track all operational uses of ARC members, regardless of the type of man-day resource used,” he said. “If you are performing duty on another type of order that qualifies as operational use, your unit’s POC for the tasking or mission should be able to provide a specific ARCORT number. If you know the mission is an operational contribution and you don’t know the ARCORT number, you can just put 9999999 in the ARCORT field.”


Mancuso said the orderly room team member or commander’s support staff team member who currently processes duty order requests in AROWS will usually have the responsibility of inputting the ARCORT number into AROWS.


“If you input your own orders details into AROWS, you will need to type the ARCORT for MPA and other select orders,” he said.


Following are the answers to some common questions ARC members may have concerning the new AROWS data field:


So what is ARCORT?

ARCORT is a new information technology capability sponsored by the Air Force director of operations that provides visibility of all ARC operational requirements (including deployment requirements tracked in a global force management system). ARCORT is managed by a Total Force ARC Requirements Cell within the HQ USAF Operations Directorate.


So why do I need to put this additional information in AROWS?

The ARCORT field allows the Air Force director of operations to have far better visibility of the past, present and future operational contributions of the ARC. Just like people might use the memo field on a personal check to create sub-totals of personal expenses, ARCORT will allow the AF director of operations to maintain visibility of the operational execution in various mission areas.


What orders will be required to have an ARCORT number?

The only orders required to have an ARCORT number in fiscal year 2018 are the following Title 10 activations: full or partial mobilizations, presidential recalls, voluntary (contingency and non-contingency).


Are orders other than MPA required to have an ARCORT number?

Possibly. The intent of putting the ARCORT number in AROWS is to track all operational uses of ARC members, regardless of the type of man-day resource used (man-days, drills, AFTPs, etc.). If you are performing duty on another type of order that qualifies as operational use, your unit’s POC for the tasking or mission should be able to provide a specific ARCORT number. If you know the mission is an operational contribution and you don’t know the ARCORT number, you can just put 9999999 in the ARCORT field.


Who will input this number into AROWS?

For traditional Reservists, it will usually be the orderly room team member or commander’s support staff team member who currently processes duty orders requests in AROWS. If you input your own orders details into AROWS (individual mobilization augmentees, for instance), you will need to type the ARCORT for MPA and other select orders requiring an ARCORT number.


Where can I find the ARCORT number?

For an MPA order, the ARCORT number will be provided in the M4S authorization email message or generated on the E-form 49 in block 50. The list of ARCORT numbers associated with particular M4S numbers will be refreshed periodically and made available on ARC2Mission home page on the Air Force Portal. 


If your duty order is funded by the ARC and will include the performance of operational mission tasks (e.g. flying a student sortie while on annual tour orders), the ARCORT number can be obtained via your MAJCOM, Defense Department agency or the Force Generation Center. Most orderly rooms will quickly know the ARCORT numbers for the common operational missions their units perform. There may be a bit of a learning curve in the first few months of implementation.


What if I don’t have an ARCORT number for my mission and AROWS requires one?

For FY18, you can use “9999999” to ensure no delay in publishing your orders. “9999999” will serve as a flag for correction to the major command and the ARC Requirements Cell that can be fixed later.


Who can I contact for assistance?

The ARC Requirements Cell at AF/A3OD will assist you or your unit to resolve any problems you have getting the right ARCORT numbers for your AROWS orders.


Contact the ARC Requirements Cell at usaf.pentagon.af-cc.mbx.arc2-mission@mail.mil (email preferred) or at commercial 703-693-5133 or DSN 225-5133. The cell is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EDT.