December 12, 2012
by Annette Crawford
Air Force Recruiting Service
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas (AFNS) — A reorganization within Air Force Recruiting Service is resulting in three new squadrons solely dedicated to health professions recruiting and as a result, a more appropriate focus on the HP mission.
The newly activated squadrons are:
360th Recruiting Group: The 318th Recruiting Squadron, based in Mechanicsburg, Pa., is commanded by Lt. Col. Timothy Fox.
369th RCG: The 342nd RCS, based in San Antonio, Texas, is commanded by Lt. Col. Matthew Sandelier.
372nd RCG: The 348th RCS, based in Clearfield, Utah, is commanded by Lt. Col. Jonathan Lowe.
These latest changes occurred because recruiting leaders recognized reductions from Program Budget Decision 720 strained resources necessary to accomplish the mission. PBD number 720 was a force-shaping measure from Congress that gave the Air Force authority to reduce manpower authorizations to save money. Before PBD 720, AFRS had 110 operating locations and 294 HP recruiters assigned to 28 recruiting squadrons. After PBD 720 in fiscal 2009, there were 24 operating locations and 139 HP recruiters assigned to three recruiting groups.
“Taking the HP recruiters out of the squadrons and assigning them to the groups put a strain on the groups’ resources,” said Col. Michael D. Vlk, AFRS vice commander.
“We recognized that sharing support staffs wasn’t an effective way of doing business, plus it deemphasized the focus that was needed from a recruiting standpoint,” said Vlk, who saw the situation firsthand when he was commander of the 372nd RCG. “Lumping the critical HP mission in with everything else a group did made it difficult for recruiters to do their job effectively.”
The three squadrons, each reporting to their respective recruiting group, will consist of a commander, first sergeant, production superintendent, and training, operations and support sections. Similar to the enlisted accessions recruiting squadrons, the establishment of HP recruiting squadrons is appropriate because recruiting group headquarters shouldn’t be required to directly execute the recruiting mission.