CAP-USAF Completes realignment from Holm Center to 1AF

[Eclipse]

There's been a lot of rumor and rhetoric regard CAP reporting in to 1AF instead of AETC.
Apparently the realignment was of CAP-USAF, not CAP. 


http://capvolunteernow.com/todays-features/?capusaf_completes_realignment_from_holm_center_to_1st_air_force&show=news&newsID=22100

"CAP-USAF completed a nearly three-year journey  today to realign from Air Education and Training Command's
Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions & Citizen Development to Air Combat Command's 1st Air Force." 

http://capnhq.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2697/kw/1st%20air%20force%20faq

Q:  Will CAP also realign under 1AF?   

A:  Technically speaking, no.  Prior to 1976, CAP was a subordinate organization within the Air Force.  However, since 1976, CAP has been the separate organization we know today that shares a close partnership with the Air Force and CAP-USAF as the auxiliary arm of the Total Force when performing Air Force assigned missions.  Just like CAP was not an "assigned unit" under AETC, CAP-USAF's realignment will not make CAP an "assigned unit" under 1AF.  The bond between CAP and CAP-USAF will not change.  What changed is who CAP-USAF now reports to as an organization and chain of command.
_______________________________

Q:  How will CAP as an organization be affected?   

A:  CAP as an organization will not be affected and members will see little change in the longstanding relationship CAP has enjoyed with the Air Force, CAP-USAF and 1AF.  The majority of our missions will continue to be tasked by 1AF. 
_______________________________

Q:  What is the impact on individual members? 

A:  There will be no impact on CAP's members.  Although CAP-USAF will change its "major command" patch from AETC to ACC, there will be no other noticeably visible changes.

[Eclipse]

For some historical context:
http://www.maxwell.af.mil/News/Display/tabid/10067/Article/421169/cap-usaf-realigns-with-holm-center.aspx

http://www.capvolunteernow.com/news/?capusaf_realignment_benefits_americas_youth&show=news&newsID=5606

[DakRadz]

Since we are in the lobby....

Will this help or hinder CAP-USAF in how they respond, operate, or gain approvals for applicable items?

I don't have a grasp on what this means, other than to suspect that "only changing a MAJCOM patch" is too little of an effect to have justified even doing this. And I don't know how helpful it will be after reading the second set of links, where we apparently went from their advocacy (then, anyway) to now just being a part of a numbered AF command.

[Eclipse]

Absent further detail I can't see how it will make any difference, other then to guess from an administrative standpoint
it was easier / cheaper in somebody's mind to have them report there.  Access to or accounting for the reservists, maybe?

CAP-USAF has very little day-to-day involvement in CAP.  They might have daily conversations at the C-Level, but
at the wing they aren't involved in much, and when they are it is primarily the evals / CIs and final approval on money.

[raivo]

Seems more symbolic to me than anything else... Holm Center is an approximately wing-equivalent component of Air University that oversees various education programs (JROTC, ROTC, OTS, etc.) and 1AF is the numbered Air Force responsible for CONUS air defense and related missions, so I guess you could say it signifies a shift in focus.

But that's just me speculating.

[JeffDG]

Seems more symbolic to me than anything else... Holm Center is an approximately wing-equivalent component of Air University that oversees various education programs (JROTC, ROTC, OTS, etc.) and 1AF is the numbered Air Force responsible for CONUS air defense and related missions, so I guess you could say it signifies a shift in focus.

But that's just me speculating.

It's more of a money thing.

We (CAP) will still be drawing funds from the AETC side of things...that's where a lot of our CP and AE funding flows through, but most of our ES funding flows through 1AF and ACC. 

That means that folks have to move money around, and in government that's not a simple process. 

You might think "Well, they had to move money before and they have to move money now, so what's the difference?"

The difference is timing.  The AE/CP funding is stuff that is planned well in advance, so there's ample time for the bean-counters to do their thing to get the funds where they need to go.  ES funding can have more immediate needs that don't have a lot of, or any, lead time.  In such situations, the accountants get...nervous...if they have to move funds between major accounts with little-no notice.  So, organizing out of ACC permits those short-notice funding requirements to be more easily met, while leaving the longer notice CP/AE relatively unaffected.

[DakRadz]

It's more of a money thing.

If this is the case, especially if the examples given for CP/AE vs ES are accurate, then that makes a lot of sense and has good reasons.

Is there a way to see where and how these funds flow? Annual report or something?

[FW]

CAP has been working with 1AF for years, and I think its commander is now a permanent member of the BoG, so it seems the 1AF\CAP-USAF reporting chain makes good sense.  I have no idea about money issues, however our grant is set by congress; not the AF.  Oversight of our spending is the function of a "Grants Officer", and is not dependent on CAP-USAF's parent org.  The BoG's audit committee and the CFO's office do a great job of insuring budgeting, and spending is kept in check. 

That said, extra funds for ES/DR can be funneled thru 1AF to CAP for any reason it deems necessary. This could be a very good thing...

[Fubar]

"For example, emergency services is a lot of what CAP does, and the realignment allows CAP-USAF to offer that training to Reserve Officer Training Corps, and Junior ROTC students," he said.

Did that ever happen? I haven't seen any interaction with (J)ROTC.

Anybody know what command CAP-USAF was attached to before the move to Air Univeristy?

[lordmonar]

Since we are in the lobby....

Will this help or hinder CAP-USAF in how they respond, operate, or gain approvals for applicable items?

I don't have a grasp on what this means, other than to suspect that "only changing a MAJCOM patch" is too little of an effect to have justified even doing this. And I don't know how helpful it will be after reading the second set of links, where we apparently went from their advocacy (then, anyway) to now just being a part of a numbered AF command.

From an operations and funding point of view....it will help.
ACC has a bigger pot of money the AETC ever had.   So it will be easier to get funding for short notice taskings from USAF and other sources.   It is a lot easier for the ACC commander to say get it done....and move the money later then for AETC to do that.

From an operations point of point of view....it is a plus up for us....again because ACC has lots of money and we (via CAP-USAF) will be answering dircetly to ACC commander.   So it is easier to get things done...because only one boss hold all the threads.

As far as "just" being part of a numbered AF.    Just about everyone in ACC is part of some Numbered AF.   So again....it is a plus for us...because we fall under a direct operational commander who answers directly to Commander ACC.   Shorter chain of command with real world missions and the money and staffing that goes with it.

As has been stated time and again.   This does not really help the average CAP member.  Squadron ops will not change much at all.   What will change is the frequency and speed of getting off the wall, one up, or special missions.   AS the funding train is now stream lined.    The funding stream for the Green Flag operations was very convoluted....ACC had to MIPR the money to AETC who then gave it to CAP-USAF, who then transferred it to CAP.  Except for some operational costs that had to go another auditing route to ACC....who then got us the money.

Like I said...while nothing really will change on the street.....overall this is a big plus for CAP-USAF and CAP.

[DakRadz]

~snip~
As far as "just" being part of a numbered AF.    Just about everyone in ACC is part of some Numbered AF.   So again....it is a plus for us...because we fall under a direct operational commander who answers directly to Commander ACC.   Shorter chain of command with real world missions and the money and staffing that goes with it.

~snip~

Like I said...while nothing really will change on the street.....overall this is a big plus for CAP-USAF and CAP.

I appreciate all the points, especially from someone I know has a good basis of experience behind them. I simply don't know enough about the Air Force to have understood half of that without further insight, and the "just" was based on the fact that the AETC move had quotes from the CG showing high support, whereas this press release was a bit lacking.

I will admit that I did not realize the KB answer was longer than those parts in the initial post. Mea culpa. The answers here are good supporting information I would have asked for anyways.

[etodd]

The CAP links keep giving tidbits. Here are a few more details for you from the 1st Air Force website:

http://www.1af.acc.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/5782/Article/812037/1st-air-force-participates-in-civil-air-patrol-transfer-of-authority-ceremony.aspx

.

[etodd]

.

CAP-USAF personnel are the primary functional interface between other Federal agencies, state, and local agencies. ....... "Volunteer Civil Air Patrol pilots and aircraft, operating in an Air Force Auxiliary capacity, already fly thousands of sorties every year in support of civil authorities and Homeland Defense, ......"

Yep. Homeland Defense is just steps away from Homeland Security / FEMA / etc.

Deep in the depths of D.C. there are some 20 year plans for were CAP will wind up and what our new missions will be. Inch by inch were are morphing. Going to be very interesting to see where it all goes.



.

[Mitchell 1969]

.

CAP-USAF personnel are the primary functional interface between other Federal agencies, state, and local agencies. ....... "Volunteer Civil Air Patrol pilots and aircraft, operating in an Air Force Auxiliary capacity, already fly thousands of sorties every year in support of civil authorities and Homeland Defense, ......"

Yep. Homeland Defense is just steps away from Homeland Security / FEMA / etc.

Deep in the depths of D.C. there are some 20 year plans for were CAP will wind up and what our new missions will be. Inch by inch were are morphing. Going to be very interesting to see where it all goes.



.

I helped Indiana Jones put them there. I drove the fork lift.

[FW]

"For example, emergency services is a lot of what CAP does, and the realignment allows CAP-USAF to offer that training to Reserve Officer Training Corps, and Junior ROTC students," he said.

Did that ever happen? I haven't seen any interaction with (J)ROTC.

Anybody know what command CAP-USAF was attached to before the move to Air Univeristy?

We can give O'Flights to them....

Before AU, CAP-USAF was part of CAC or Continental Air Command.  It was one of the reasons CAP had access to Military Airlift...

[grunt82abn]

New guy question: What the heck is CAP-USAF? 

[Eclipse]

New guy question: What the heck is CAP-USAF?

The USAF command responsible for managing the Liaison Region Assistant Director(s) of Operations (LR-ADO) and Reserve Assistance Program (RAP).

Their role and quantity has evolved significantly in the last 20 years, but at the most basic level they are responsible for
oversight of the CAP Congressional appropriation, and in approving mission expenditures.  In addition they perform or coordinate the
Wing Evaluated Training missions and Compliance Inspections.  They also provide liaison to military installations and resources.

Yo may hear olde-school people refer to them as "State Directors", as that was their title previous to the relatively recent RIF that reduced their
numbers from 1-per wing (slots) to 8 total for the country. The LRADOs are civilian employees (GS) while the RAPs are Reservists who earn points
for their service to CAP.

CAP-USAF is not in the CAP chain of command, their primary authority is "safety and purse strings". In other words, they can call a stop for safety issues,
FWA situations, or simply refuse to approve expenditures or missions, but they don't have member-level or organizational authority.  They do provide advice
and counsel to Wing CCs, etc., on a regular basis, as they are all aviators, and former or current military.

From the above website (although I'm not sure those numbers are current):

• 
  Offers guidance and support to CAP organizations for homeland security and humanitarian missions for communities, states, and the nation.
  
  Provides assistance and oversight on search and rescue, disaster relief, and other emergencies and contingencies nationwide.
  
  Helps develop the country's youth through training, education, and professionalism.
  
  Educates citizens on the importance of air and space power.
  
  Personnel serve as the primary functional interface between other federal agencies and the CAP.
  
  Serves as the Air Force program office for the Cooperative Agreement and Statement of Work. The CAP-USAF/CC is the program manager.
  
  Serves as the only active-duty flying unit at Maxwell AFB and the only operational unit in Air University.
  
  Manages the CAP Reserve Assistance Program (CAPRAP) - the largest Air Force Reserve program in Air University.
  
  Only 19 of CAP-USAF's 350 personnel are stationed at Maxwell AFB. The rest are stationed at 44 operating locations across the country.

[grunt82abn]

Thanks Eclipse!!!

[ZigZag911]

Recently I heard CAP-USAF CV and CAP CV speak, both felt this would be good for CAP in all missions. Most immediate effects, as has been mentioned here, will be in compression of the approval chain for operational funds, They foresee positive impact in other areas, including CP & AE, but that will take some time, discussion and working out of details.

For the immediate future, at least, the major impact will be for CAP-USAF personnel and CAP Operations/ES missions.

[BuckeyeDEJ]

Yo may hear olde-school people refer to them as "State Directors", as that was their title previous to the relatively recent RIF that reduced their
numbers from 1-per wing (slots) to 8 total for the country. The LRADOs are civilian employees (GS) while the RAPs are Reservists who earn points
for their service to CAP.

I'm old-school, and I remember when every wing had an LO and an LNCO. The liaison officer was usually a light colonel and the LNCO was usually a technical sergeant or in that vicinity. Every. Wing. Had. One. Each.

They became GS-schedule "state directors" later on.