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Fairchild's Personnel & Cargo Deployment Function test abilities

Senior Airman Diego Villanueva, 92nd Logistics Readiness Squadron petroleum, oil and lubricants journeyman, marshals a forklift during an exercise at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, May 2, 2018. Team Fairchild practiced their ability to perform during contingency operations, April 30 through May 11, giving personnel the hands-on experience needed to effectively deploy Airmen and assets downrange at a moment’s notice. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Senior Airman Sean Campbell)

Fairchild's Personnel & Cargo Deployment Function test abilities

Senior Airman Diego Villanueva, 92nd Logistics Readiness Squadron petroleum, oil and lubricants journeyman, marshals a forklift during an exercise at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, May 2, 2018. The Cargo Deployment Function process involves more than just paperwork; it involves preparing baggage pallets, marshalling and driving forklifts, weighing and measuring cargo and checking hazardous material. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Senior Airman Sean Campbell)

Fairchild's Personnel & Cargo Deployment Function test abilities

92nd Logistics Readiness Squadron Airmen conduct a cargo load during an exercise at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, May 2, 2018. Team Fairchild practiced their ability to perform during contingency operations, April 30 through May 11, giving personnel the hands-on experience needed to effectively deploy Airmen and assets downrange at a moment’s notice. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Senior Airman Sean Campbell)

Fairchild's Personnel & Cargo Deployment Function test abilities

Tech. Sgt. Jaymhar Caoile, 92nd Logistics Readiness Squadron assistant resource advisor, operates a forklift during an exercise at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, May 2, 2018. The Cargo Deployment Function process involves more than just paperwork; it involves preparing baggage pallets, marshalling and driving forklifts, weighing and measuring cargo and checking hazardous material. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Senior Airman Sean Campbell)

Fairchild's Personnel & Cargo Deployment Function test abilities

Fairchild Airmen conduct a cargo load during an exercise at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, May 2, 2018. The Cargo Deployment Function line begins when a request for cargo is submitted. Once the base meets the requestor’s needs, it is then processed. The cargo is then palletized and transported to its destination. The process involves more than just paperwork; it involves preparing baggage pallets, marshalling and driving forklifts, weighing and measuring cargo and checking hazardous material. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Senior Airman Sean Campbell)

Fairchild's Personnel & Cargo Deployment Function test abilities

Staff Sgt. Russel Prusinski, 92nd Logistics Readiness Squadron Traffic Management Office, and Staff Sgt. Joseph Needham, 92nd LRS commander’s administrative assistant, discuss a cargo move during an exercise at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, May 2, 2018. Team Fairchild practiced their ability to perform during contingency operations, April 30 through May 11, giving personnel the hands-on experience needed to effectively deploy Airmen and assets downrange at a moment’s notice. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Senior Airman Sean Campbell)

Fairchild’s Personnel & Cargo Deployment Functions test abilities

Published May 24, 2018
By Staff Sgt. Nick J. Daniello
92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- Team Fairchild practiced their ability to perform during contingency operations April 30 through May 11.

Most notably, this exercise gave Fairchild’s Personnel Deployment and Cargo Deployment Functions an opportunity to further the hands-on experience needed to effectively deploy Airmen and assets downrange at a moment’s notice.

“The PDF stands up to provide everything needed to ensure Airmen are prepared and eligible to deploy,” said 1st Lt. Zach Baumann, 92nd Force Support Squadron Personnel Deployment Function officer in charge. “The main two components are deployment eligibility and medical readiness. This is a full mobility folder check to ensure every member has exactly what they need to head out the door.”

According to Baumann, there are no “extra” people because everyone heading out the door to deploy has a very specific part of the mission that is irreplaceable. His PDF team is the vital link between the Deployment Control Center filling slots and members able to support the mission.

“The PDF is the last stop an Airman sees before getting on a jet, and the PDF is obsessed with every little detail in support of the DCC,” he said. “Without the PDF, there would be no focal point for deployment readiness and eligibility. Therefore, the DCC would have no way to ensure that their warfighters heading out the door are able to carry out the mission.”

Ensuring personnel are prepared to deploy down range is half of the vital partnership that provides combatant commanders with key assets. The second half of this valued pre-deployment process is the equipment and cargo that will accompany Airmen and how it will get there, also known as the CDF.

Fairchild Logistics Readiness Squadron Airmen recently streamlined the CDF process to remove 35 of about 50 non-valued steps, slashing the average accomplishment time by 50 to 60 percent. This exercise was the perfect time to test the updated process the Continued Process Improvement team implemented.

“Because of what the CPI did… it reduced frustration, not only amongst the CDF Airmen, but saved us 50 percent of time for transporting items to the yard,” said Ricky Brown, 92nd LRS Installation Transportation officer. “The [CDF] is very important to what we do here for the Fairchild mission.”

In the military, we must be prepared to deploy to an unknown location and do it very smoothly, Brown added.

CDF Airmen combated challenges through adjusting and reattacking transporting cargo with appropriate teams who were trained and had defined roles to accomplish the mission.

“Mission Support Group Airmen put the ‘move’ in ‘moving the mission and continually improve and evolve to efficiently move Airmen out the door if Fairchild were called upon,” said Col. Yvonne Spencer, 92nd MSG commander. “This exercise was an opportunity for our CDF team to test their newly-streamlined process, and the PDF sharpened their skills of setting Airmen up for success to accomplish the mission around the globe, once again showing that Fairchild completes our mission above and beyond all expectations.”

No matter how difficult the mission, Fairchild’s PDF and CDF Airmen stand prepared to deploy crucial assets and ready Airmen at a moment’s notice, ultimately providing combatant commanders with the right people and equipment at the right place and time.