USAF's ACC changes maintenance organisational structure

Having experimented for almost three years now, Air Combat Command (ACC) is changing the aircraft maintenance organisational structure to improve synchronisation between maintenance and its fighter squadrons.

Mountain Home AFB's 366th Fighter Wing new wing organisation was tested since 2018, and in February 2020 the 20th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (AMXS) at Shaw AFB (SC) was one of the first units that was reorganised from Wing level to Squadron level. The 20th AMXS at Shaw was divided into 55th, 77th and 79th Fighter Generation Squadrons (FGS) to better align with the fighter squadrons they support.

Following USAF's Accelerate Change or Lose doctrine, this new structure, called Combat Oriented Maintenance Organisation (COMO), flattens the maintenance organisational structure and transitions aircraft maintenance units into fighter generation squadrons.

The FGS is a new squadron comprised of maintainers responsible for airpower health and generation. The FGS will be paired with a complementary fighter squadron and the two units will work collaboratively both in garrison and during deployments. The latter was also thoroughly tested. In late 2020, the 77th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron was augmented by the 77th Fighter Generation Squadron whilst being deployed to King Faisal Air Base (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia). Scramble Magzine reported on this deployment on 18 October 2020.

For a future Dynamic Force Employment (DFE) in a high-end fight, pairing fighter squadrons with a dedicated fighter generation squadron will foster unity of effort between maintenance and operations as well as provide a better view of readiness. The COMO structure allows USAF fighter wings to prepare for rapid deployments and to disaggregate and reaggregate as needed by Combined Forces Air Component Command (CFACC).

This pairing of the fighter and a fighter generation squadron is just the first phase of a broader force presentation model ACC is building to better organise, train, and equip combat air forces. Phase two will focus on evaluation of air base squadrons that can rapidly deploy and provide base operating support. Phase three examines wing command and control capabilities.

The 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw AFB (SC) and 388th Fighter Wing at Hill AFB (UT) are the first wings to transition to the COMO model, with the remaining ACC fighter wings transitioning by the summer of 2022.

Photos: USAF