Columbus AFB Services to see change

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Chase Hedrick
  • 14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  The 14th Flying Training Wing is on the way to revisiting how it provides services to Columbus Air Force Base Airmen and their families after a visit from the Services Transformation Initiative team from Dec. 3 to 7.

According to the Air Force Personnel Center the Services Transformation Initiative is working to move base services from a 'one size fits all' approach to services tailored to meet the needs and wants of the base's population.

To get an initial understanding of those needs, the team studied the base's demographics, including the local retiree population, nearby National Guard units, and Reservists attached to the base.

"With the on-base popular there is a very large number of personnel who are new to the Air Force, and of those people a lot of them are highly transient too," said Rick Gates, a member of the Services Transformation Team. "We consider that when we're looking at what services they're looking for and how they're going to use those services.

The team also looked outside the gate for what services are provided to find out what services are available off-base to avoid overlap of services already provided so the transformation could deliver services Airmen want.

One project the team recommended to wing leadership was the addition of a community commons, a central location for Columbus AFB residents to use for meeting up, hanging out or the like. Suggestions for available services in the commons include a gaming room, casual comfortable seating, study rooms, free wifi and more. Additionally the team proposed adding a kiosk to the commons to create a central location to rent items from Outdoor Recreation, purchase trips or tickets from Tours and Travel or get custom items made by Arts and Crafts.

"We also think this is going to be flexible in terms of who can use it and which user groups are using it during which times of the day," said Gates. "You might have teenagers after school in here, during the evening after the teens have gone home and young Airmen are off of work maybe they'll come over. Some student pilots might come over to spread their charts out in the study room. It's intended to be a flexible facility."

The team's recommendations to wing leadership is the starting point for Columbus AFB's participation in Round II of the Services Transformation Initiative. The recommendations and changes will be shaped further with focus surveys. In the meantime, Airmen can continue to vote for services they enjoy with their dollars, and leave comments about current services with the Interactive Customer Evaluation on http://www.cafbfssrocks.com.