CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
The Air Force Personnel Center is scheduled to update Air Force Specialty Codes for all Airmen in the communication and information career fields to the newly created 3D, Cyberspace Professional, career fields Oct. 31.
The transformation began last year, when Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley put out the Roadmap for Developing Cyberspace Professionals in April 2008. During this transformation, the largest in the history of Air Force communications, more than 27,000 enlisted Airmen will transition from 16 communication AFSCs (2EXXX, 3A0XX, 3CXXX) to 11 new cyberspace support specialties (3DXXX). This move is designed to help the Air Force face the challenges of working in and protecting a cyber environment.
So what do these changes in the communications field mean to the rest of Team Charleston? Here at Charleston, 95 percent of 3A0X1 personnel will be converted to 3D0X1, Knowledge Operator, and the other 5 percent will be converted to 3D1X1, Client Systems.
The separation of client support administration personnel into a separate AFSC will bring major changes the way traditional user-level computer system and information management support is provided to Charleston AFB.
Conversely, one of the most dramatic changes will occur when the client support administration competency is officially transferred from the 3A0X1 to a new 3D1X1 AFSC, Client Systems. The new AFSC will be centralized into base-level communications squadrons to provide computer touch maintenance support to base-level users. The change removes the ability for 3A0X1 personnel assigned to units throughout Charleston AFB to provide computer systems support.
"Those Airmen will no longer have the necessary elevated rights to go and work on a computer," said Chief Master Sgt. Thomas Jackson, 437 CS chief enlisted manager and 3A career field functional manager.
Centralizing support reduces the number of personnel authorized elevated network access, tightens network security, reduces the risk of vulnerabilities and enhances training to produce better qualified technicians.
According to Chief Jackson, it is important to know that the transformation of the information management career field is not an attempt to reallocate unit-level manpower, but a necessity to survive a 2,636 manpower reduction in the 3A0X1 workforce.
The base-level centralized knowledge operator role is to provide records management, Freedom of Information Act, Privacy Act, publishing, and enterprise information management support to all assigned base personnel. At the unit-level, to survive such a drastic force reduction in the 3A0X1 workforce, remaining unit-level positions were consolidated to group-level knowledge operations work centers. This work center is directly responsible for providing oversight of planning, coordinating, managing, sharing, and controlling the group's data needs.
To better define the new responsibilities of transitioning knowledge operations managers, Chief Jackson said the Air Force Workforce Structure Strategy was published Oct. 5, signed by Lt. Gen. William Lord, Chief of Warfighting Integration and Chief Information Officer for the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force.
To receive a copy of the Workforce Structure document outlining the duties and responsibilities of 3A personnel transitioning into the 3D0X1 career field, contact Master Sgt. Margaret Patterson by e-mail at margaret.patterson-02@charleston.af.mil or Chief Jackson at thomas.jackson.5@charleston.af.mil.
"If I were in charge of a workcenter that had a 3A out there, one of the first things I would do is grab that [document], read it, have a clear understanding to make sure that I wasn't misusing that knowledge operator and then also sit down and share that with them to make sure they too understand exactly what their duties are and what they aren't," Chief Jackson said.
For CSA support, the 437 CS help desk can be reached at 963-2666.