ANDREWS AFB, Md. –
Team Andrews is currently coming together in a true team effort to welcome more than 100 new tech school graduates to the 316th Security Forces Squadron.
The newest security forces recruits started to arrive last month and will continue to arrive through September, said Lt. Col. Kit Lambert, 316 SFS commander.
"These motivated new Airmen will be filling a long-standing unit manning shortfall, which will enable the 316 SFS to provide even better security and law enforcement support to Team Andrews," said Colonel Lambert. "Up to this point, the 316 SFS has been one of the lowest manned security forces squadrons in the Air Force. Ultimately, these new security forces Airmen will be filling a security and law enforcement posting that has been unfilled since the start of the massive deployments following Operation IRAQI FREEDOM and Operation NOBLE EAGLE. Security for the president and our mission partners will be tighter than ever."
Chief Master Sgt. Mark Stevenson, 316 SFS first sergeant, is especially looking forward to the new arrivals.
"Our manning has been significantly low - currently 84 percent -- for some time," said Chief Stevenson. "This has caused a merge in many of the security and law enforcement responsibilities. While security has never been sacrificed, this manning shortage has been a huge draw on our most precious resources: our defenders."
Though the recruits are new to the Air Force, Chief Stevenson believes that is an asset.
"These new Airmen not only bring a fresh set of eyes straight from the schoolhouse to our squadron, but they also increase our manning to continue to provide Team Andrews the excellent security and law enforcement everyone has been used to," Chief Stevenson said.
"The sponsorship and reception of this massive team has been nothing short of spectacular. Every unit on base has been involved in helping us to prepare over the past year for their arrival - from the dormitories to in-processing and pay, Team Andrews has been there for us," Colonel Lambert said.
One such unit is the 316 FSS.
"One of our main responsibilities is in-processing," said Lt. Col. Kevin Brooks, 316th Force Support Squadron commander. "We coordinate with the 316th Comptroller Squadron to ensure the Airmen are gained to the base properly and that their pay starts without any disruption. Part of our responsibility is to ensure that we have enough manning on-hand to handle the number of Airmen in a given group. Typically, we have one Airman present for base in-processing, but for a group of this size, we will have no less than three Airmen and an NCO to receive the newcomers."
Colonel Brooks said once on board, the 316 FSS base training office will enter all members into initial upgrade training, the First Term Airmen's Center and then order their career development courses.
Further enhancing the new recruits' welcome has been the assistance from the local area.
"The local hotels have gone above and beyond to ensure our Airmen are lodged and have been extremely flexible with payments," Chief Stevenson said. "Many of our Airmen are coming to Andrews without personal credit cards, but the hotels are allowing them to pay at checkout versus register a credit card at check-in. This exception to their normal policy has helped immensely."
Colonel Lambert agreed. "The reception of this amazing group of new professionals has stretched our capacity as a base, but we are all up to the challenge," he said.