A5A8 provides strategic planning for today, tomorrow Published May 5, 2016 By HQ AFRC Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Logistics and support mission planning was once referred to as the task of ensuring members of the services had “beds, beans and bullets” – all the essentials they needed to get the job done. Now, for the young Airmen at the wing level who perform the daily work of the Air Force Reserve, logistics and support mission planning is where the rubber meets the road. However, the average Airman or person in the community does not dwell deeply inside all the requirements that go into this planning. Readiness, mobilization, basing strategies, Total Force Initiatives, global power, global reach, global vigilance, and program capabilities of the Air Force Reserve, and that is why Air Force Reserve Command’s A5A8 Plans, Programs and Requirements directorate exists. No matter what a wing’s mission requirements are, the execution of turning wrenches, flying sorties or just moving the beds, beans and bullets requires the necessity of planning, organizing and equipping the troops to maintain flexibility across the spectrum of warfare to fly, fight and win. The responsibility for making sure the wings have all of the money and resources they need to perform their mission falls squarely on the shoulders of the men and women at the major command – specifically, those who work in A5A8 or the Plans, Programs and Requirements Directorate. The determinations and outcomes of the choices made for the entire Air Force Reserve Command of encompassing building the future force, recapitalizing and modernizing the fleet, and developing the team are handled at A5A8. Within AFRC, the challenges for those within the directorate are multiplied due to the many mission sets the command provides to the total Air Force. No other major command is involved on a daily basis in such a wide variety of missions to include space and cyberspace, air mobility, air combat and special operations forces, as well as special mission groups that include hurricane reconnaissance, mobile aerial firefighting and aerial spray support. In providing this support, the personal effects are sometimes lost between developing strategies, mission sets and goals. “We must remember to keep the faith with our Reserve families and members,” said Maj. Gen. Derek Rydholm, A5A8 director. “If we forget to incorporate the young Airmen at the unit level and how they fit into this process, we run the risk of dis-incentivizing our traditional reservists.” The A5A8 directorate prepares war and mobilization plans to support the combatant commanders. “Through what is known as the POM, the program objective memorandum, the planning, programming and budgeting process takes place, Rydholm said. “The Air Force Reserve is one of the most important pieces, and we are being asked to do more than we’ve ever done before in more demanding circumstances.” The end result is providing highly trained personnel to meet the demands of the commanders. These plans encompass contingency, wartime and adaptive planning by posturing AFRC forces and capabilities. What this means to the young Airmen at the unit level is the oversight and support provided by the people within A5A8 gives each and every Reservist the resources necessary to fulfill their mission to fly, fight and win. As a senior leader at AFRC, Rydholm meets with the Senate Appropriations Committee to ensure its members understand how the need for modernization is met through the National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account. The NGREA plays an important role in tackling the uphill battles of maintaining predictability and sustainability of the agile combat support needed from these limited resources. “We’re trying to get too much out of too small of a force,” Rydholm said. A5A8 validates all requirements for the command from people, money and equipment. Through the work at the MAJCOM, the command provides the resource allocation to meet mission needs. From the traditional Reservist to the Airman deployed, all the initiatives are reviewed to ensure the best execution to modernize all the command’s resources are accomplished under the same demanding circumstance the personnel see happening at the lowest levels all the way up to the command level. “The most important thing of being the A5A8 director is to ensure we have the best plan to support our Reservists,” Rydholm expressed.