An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

TAP Capstone program undergoes changes due to force shaping

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Janelle Patiño
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  Last September, Fairchild's Airman and Family Readiness Center launched a program that helps service members prepare for separation or retirement called Capstone as an addition to the Transition Assistance Program.

With this year's force shaping initiatives, the A&FRC has some pertinent changes and information that will be more helpful and beneficial, especially for service members who are impacted by force shaping.

"We are anticipating this current operations tempo for the remainder of this calendar year and into 2015," said Christopher Marble, the A&FRC chief. "In order to be successful, we need a collaborative effort from leaders, supervisors, members and families.

There are continued Quarterly Capstone Events now tailored for those impacted by force shaping, including Career, Support and Education Fairs.

"The next event is scheduled for May 28, 2014, at the Fun Spot," said Marble. "Forty support agencies will be available for informational purposes for members leaving the service."

According to Marble, the A&FRC has worked hard to obtain Air Force Personnel Center waivers for class size and frequency, and many classes have been added to meet the demand. The one-on-one Transition Goals, Plans, Success/Capstone sessions, they currently have, are extremely limited and should be rare.

"Some may remain unavoidable in a few cases, but those types of cases need to be minimized," said Marble. "With the TGPS program evolving from an optional requirement to mandatory, customer load has increased."

The amount of service members attending the A&FRC's TAP has also increased by 100 percent with the current force management programs.

"The operations tempo has doubled the tempo compared to a year ago with no additional assets to help," he said. "We are currently holding the line; but, we need Airmen to be proactive and complete these requirements early."

According to Marble, members need to help themselves by completing all requirements early; 12 months for those separating and 24 months for those retiring. Also, being proactive will help ensure they have opportunities to assimilate and apply knowledge gained toward their next phase of life.

The Capstone is considered complete once the member's commander signs a form called the DD Form 2958: service member career readiness standards/individual transition plan checklist.

"The Department of Defense has now built in commander's oversight and responsibility to review the DD Form 2958 prior to signing to ensure military personnel are prepared to make a successful transition to the civilian community," Marble said. "The signed DD Form 2958 then must be returned to the local A&FRC in order for members to out-process."

For more information, visit or call the A&FRC at (509) 247-2246.