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Colonel Jones hosts last combined AFDW/11th Wing commander's call

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Alex Saltekoff
  • 11th Wing Public Affairs
BOLLING AIR FORCE BASE, D.C. --  Air Force District of Washington and 11th Wing Commander Col. Duane A. Jones held a commander's call Aug. 19 in the Bolling Clubs, covering topics such as the new AFDW and the potential effects of base realignment on Bolling.

Colonel Jones opened with information about the AFDW change of command.

"We're in the phase right now where we are separating people who are in AFDW from people who are in the 11th Wing," he said. "The goal is that around January, or thereabouts, we will have a change of command and we will have a new 11th Wing commander.

Colonel Jones also said the change of command would be another step in the reorganization. The new 11th Wing commander will remain in Building P-20, where the new AFDW commander will also reside on a different floor along with most of the AFDW staff. Some members will work out of the current Air Force Office of Special Investigations building once AFOSI moves to their new facility.

"The next event will happen probably in the late spring or summer of 2006," said the commander. "We'll get our first full-blown AFDW commander -- probably a two-star [general]."

In 2008, a new AFDW headquarters building will be constructed on Duncan Avenue next to the base technology center.

"This is the last time we are going to have a combined AFDW/ 11th Wing commander's call," Colonel Jones said. "The next commander's call you will be at will either be an AFDW commander's call or an 11th Wing commander's call."

Next on the agenda was the wing's next planned "down day" scheduled for the Columbus Day holiday weekend.

Colonel Jones said it's difficult to have a day off for the wing because we serve customers at the Pentagon and elsewhere around the National Capital Region and it would do them a disservice to be closed for a day. The commander offered a solution for the military side of the house.

"Half of us are going to stay home on Friday [before the Monday holiday], and the other half is going to stay home on [Tuesday]," said Colonel Jones.

Due to civilian personnel rules, the commander is unable to grant civilians a "down day." Civilian employees must take liberal leave to have the day off.

The commander praised base personnel for their untiring service and wartime customer support. "We're not doing this just because we haven't had in a long time," said Colonel Jones. "We're doing this because your performance has earned a down day, and I'd like to congratulate you."

The commander talked about the crackdown on base access and how it affected the 11th Services Division's Potomac Lanes and the Bolling Clubs. With the new restrictions on base access, people were worried about the lost patronage and revenues at 11th Services Division facilities. However, the base facilities are bringing in enough money to stay open and club memberships continue to increase.

Chief Master Sgt. Lewis E. Monroe III, the AFDW and 11th Wing command chief master sergeant, also spoke to attendees and reminded everyone about the "Making the Grade" campaign.

"The one thing you all need to realize about 'Making the Grade,' is that it all depends on you," said Chief Monroe. "You are at the pointy end of the spear. You're there on the other side of the service counter. You're there for the folks coming into your office to be waited on. You're there at the main gate as the defender waving traffic on, the first impression of the entire wing. The success of this leadership initiative depends on you."

The chief also spoke about the Air Force's annual 101 Critical Days of Summer safety campaign and reminded people to stay safe and not drink and drive.

After the chief spoke, Colonel Jones opened the meeting up for questions from the troops.

The first question concerned a new running track on base. The commander explained the process of budgets, a $750,000 limit on construction projects and potential problems.

"The running track is supposed to be built on the soccer fields opposite of the helipad," said Colonel Jones. "The goal is to have that ready so that we can be running there in a January-February time frame."

When asked for a clarifying explanation about AFDW, the commander said, "The Air Force District of Washington is going to be a regional command. It's going to be headquartered at Bolling, but it is going to be responsible for a region [and] that region is the National Capital Region. The definition of the National Capital Region will be a circle with a radius of 100 miles. Anything Air Force within that circle has the potential of being part of the AFDW."

Colonel Jones said there were discussions going on that very day about which units will fall under AFDW. There have been no public announcements about which units they will be, but he anticipates information will be available sometime within the next six weeks. He advised base personnel to watch for AFDW news in future issues of The BEAM and to look for a special pull-out section, which should help further explain the structure of the new organization.

The wing commander was also asked to clarify how Bolling will operate after realignment with the Naval District Washington Anacostia Annex.

"When we talk about roads and grounds, when we talk about what facilities ought to look like, the Navy has a vision and the Air Force has a vision," said Colonel Jones. "What we've got to do is come up with a common set of definitions. What does it mean to mow grass? What does it mean to take care of roads and grounds? Then we have to price it out and figure out how we're going to do it. This is going to be a very important and difficult process."