Gen. Duke Z. Richardson, Air Force Materiel Command commander, and AFMC Civic Leader Program members from across the nation visited Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, for a three-day conference, Oct. 22-24.

The AFMC CLP conference is held at different AFMC installations each year and provides attendees the opportunity to learn about diverse base missions and ongoing challenges.

“The CLP is central to making sure our bases don’t get disconnected from the communities they live in,” said Richardson. “AFMC has eight primary installations, and there are common issues at each installation. The civic leaders talk with each other and share lessons learned.”

AFMC Civic Leader Program participants are select community leaders and local influencers who reside in the communities that surround Air Force bases. The civic leaders collaborate with AFMC senior leaders and help inform their publics about the local installation missions and challenges.

“We have a strong relationship with our community and community leaders,” said Col. Deedrick Reese, Robins Installation and 78th Air Base Wing commander. “When the CLP members from across the command get here and talk to our civic leaders, we talk about our perspective and the challenges we have. It helps CLP members navigate their own challenges in their local areas. It helps with out-of-the-box thinking, a different approach or style when you get that perspective.”

At Robins AFB, the CLP members gained greater awareness of a common challenge faced by all AFMC installations – building and retaining a skilled workforce. Through partnerships with local colleges and universities, Robins AFB has created a pipeline to hire the workforce needed to ensure mission requirements are met. Many workforce members often gain experience through dual enrollment, internships and on-the-job training.

“Our goal is to train the new generation of workers who will keep your base strong,” said Ivan H. Allen, Central Georgia Technical College president and Robins AFB CLP member. “We are doing this now with 16- and 17-year-olds who are dual enrolled in high school.”

Working with educational partners around the area has allowed Robins AFB to be involved in training students, and as a result, the installation is a top employment choice when they graduate from their programs.

“I have lots of ideas to take back with me,” said David Taylor, Dayton Early College Academy superintendent out of Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.

As part of the visit, the CLP members toured the main areas of the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex, viewing aircraft, commodities and electronics maintenance missions. They learned about programmed depot maintenance of the legacy aircraft maintained at Robins – the C-130, C-17, C-5 and F-15.

“This tour has been a home run,” Richardson said. “I’ve been to Robins four times and what I find most interesting is all the advanced manufacturing capabilities we are developing so we can make parts.

“People can get fixated on the aircraft maintenance group because they are the most visible,” Richardson continued. “It’s all the other stuff like the commodities, electronic maintenance and software that underpins the aircraft -- without these things, the aircraft wouldn’t work.”

After viewing the many areas that support upgrading and maintaining aircraft, the conference group was exposed to the newer missions at Robins AFB under the 461st and 116th Air Control Wings, the 950th Spectrum Warfare Group, and the 18th Airborne Command and Control Squadron.

Hearing about these missions gave the CLP members insight into how the Air Force is reoptimizing for Great Power Competition. The integrated warfare capabilities these missions contribute to the fight, along with AFMC and Robins’ ability to upgrade and maintain the Air Force and Navy’s legacy fleets, will help deliver what is needed to commanders in a peer-competitor fight.

At the 78th ABW, CLP members learned how units worked with each mission partner to support their needs in areas including Information Technology, security, healthcare, services, etc. Giving the CLP members an inside look at the missions and their requirements empowers them to better communicate within their spheres of influence.

“When the CLP members have a different perspective of each mission across AFMC and how each wing and center contribute to it, we gain more advocacy for the things we need to keep our missions going,” said Reese. “They are able to take that experience back to their bases, along with gaining a broader perspective of what AFMC does and how we support the Air Force mission.”

The conference closed with a dinner hosted by the Middle Georgia Military Affairs Council against a backdrop of vintage aircraft and vehicles housed in the Museum of Aviation’s Century of Flight Hangar. MGMAC members and CLP members discussed their experiences, shared challenges, and worked together to generate ideas.

“These are the ideas we want (CLP members) to steal,” said Richardson during the final dinner. “That’s what we want them to take back to their communities.”