JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. -- The Air Force District of Washington encompasses more than 30,000 Airmen in 1,758 units stationed at 500 locations in 108 countries. AFDW Airmen execute varied missions around the world alongside service members and civilians from different Air Force major commands, joint units and international organizations. AFDW highlights Airmen in these unique missions in its series, “AFDW and You.”
The Airman: 1st Lt. Anthony X. Thompson is an Air Force District of Washington operations center staff officer at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. Thompson is originally from Hampton, Virginia.
The mission: An Operations Center Staff Officer manages operations and training for an Air Force Forces Operations Center with more than 50 members. Developing plans and policies for the Air Force and joint services is all part of the job. A big part of my job is managing special events such as state funerals and world disasters, as well as exciting events such as the Superbowl. As a staff officer, it’s also my job to keep the general and all other senior leaders up to speed on events and training happening around the installation, and sometimes the world. This information is delivered during weekly Commander Update Briefs.
The highlights: Being a part of special real-world events such as presidential inaugurations, State of the Union Addresses and other events is exciting. I’m able to oversee helicopter fly overs and make sure everything runs smoothly.
The challenges: At times, it has been hard adjusting to this new work climate. With me having an engineering background and coming from a flying occupation, being in the office and managing documents and personnel is a big change. Working from home due to the pandemic makes it a little harder when it comes to communication, but we give it our all and spend every day perfecting our communications.
The hobbies: Bodybuilding and traveling with family.