The Air Force Manpower Agency, located at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, is a field operating agency that reports directly to Headquarters U.S. Air Force Directorate of Manpower, Organization and Resources. The agency plays a key role in measuring and documenting the Air Force's manpower requirements.
Mission The Air Force Manpower Agency provides Air Force leaders at all levels the tools to identify essential manpower required for the effective and efficient accomplishment of the Air Force mission.
Vision The Air Force's first choice for manpower solutions.
Organization AFMA has four divisions in its headquarters, plus five regionally based squadrons, each with its own scope of operations and responsibilities.
The overall mission of the five Manpower Requirements Squadrons is to quantify total force manpower requirements for the Air Force. The squadrons also conduct short-notice, high-visibility special manpower studies as directed by Headquarters AFMA. They are:
· 1st MRS, Randolph AFB, Texas
· 2nd MRS, NASA-Langley Research Center, Va.
· 3rd MRS, Scott AFB, Ill.
· 4th MRS, Buckley AFB Annex, Colo.
· 5th MRS, Tinker AFB, Okla.
Capabilities AFMA identifies manpower requirements necessary to complete the Air Force mission, provides commanders at all levels the tools and information they need to make resource decisions and supports its functional community through the following capabilities.
AFMA determines manpower requirements
The agency develops manpower standards and conducts management advisory studies to document the manpower requirements needed to support the Air Force mission.
· During growth -- identifies and validates unfunded requirements
· During stability -- helps prioritize and maximize available resources and, afterwards, redistributes those resources based on changing demands
· During reductions -- assists in process improvement and identifies efficiencies
AFMA develops manpower programming/resourcing factors
The agency develops manpower resource factors consistent with budget exercises and develops quarterly, biennial and long-range manpower requirements factors.
Outputs to the Air Force and AFMA customers include:
· Military grade factors
· Man-hour availability factors
· Base support tail factors
· Standard indirect models
AFMA directs Air Force performance management programs
The agency collects and analyzes Headquarters Air Force data for continuous assessment of mission performance.
Outputs to the Air Force and AFMA customers include:
· Air Force Effects Management Plan
· Air Force surveys
· Best Practices program
· Innovative Development through Employee Awareness, or IDEA, program
· Performance awards
AFMA executes the commercial services management program The agency implements the Air Force-wide commercial services management, or CSM, program to improve operation of commercial functions using a variety of management tools.
Outputs to the Air Force and AFMA customers include:
· Inherently governmental/commercial activities inventory
· CSM technical guidance and cost models
· Field support for competitive sourcing, in-sourcing and business process re-engineering initiatives
· Post initiative accountability tracking and reporting
· Air Force CSM training
AFMA conducts special studies The agency conducts headquarters-directed special studies that provide Air Force leaders objective information and analysis to make timely, effective manpower requirements and resource decisions.
Outputs to the Air Force and AFMA customers include:
· Assessment of manpower requirements
· Organizational recommendations
· Process improvement recommendations
· Other deliverables as required
History As the Air Force's "manpower management" program matured, it became clear that the Air Force needed an agency to provide consistent technical guidance and to give central direction to the overall management engineering program. Thus, on Nov. 1, 1975, the Air Force Management Engineering Agency was born; it reported directly to Headquarters U.S. Air Force. In 1978, AFMEA became a named unit and was realigned under the Air Force Manpower and Personnel Center. AFMEA's mission, its ties to HQ USAF and the internal organization remained unchanged.
In 1985, AFMEA was re-designated as a separate operating agency under HQ USAF. In 1995, the Air Force chief of staff directed the Air Force to "operationalize" its Total Quality Management program. As a result, AFMEA and the Air Force Quality Institute merged in 1996 to form the Air Force Center for Quality and Management Innovation.
To further operationalize quality, the manpower-quality function under Air Force planning and programming guidance was re-engineered to streamline operations. As a result of that effort, AFCQMI was re-designated as the Air Force Manpower and Innovation Agency in 1999.
In December 2003, AFMIA became the Air Force Manpower Agency. The new name represents a shift in mission priorities to better support today's expeditionary Air Force.
Point of Contact Air Force Manpower Agency, 550 E Street East; Randolph AFB, Texas 78150-4451; DSN 487-5151 or 210-652-5151.
