News United States Air Force
 AFRC restructures enlisted grade forcePublished Oct. 1, 2019
                        
                        
                        Air Force Reserve Command Public Affairs
                **ROBINS AFB, Ga. (AFNS) --**
                More than 3,500 enlisted Reserve Airmen will see upgrades to their grade authorizations Oct. 1.
The Enlisted Grade Council, including major command senior enlisted leaders and other key members, reviewed, evaluated and restructured the enlisted grade authorizations. The council, which was established in 2016, grew out of a continuous process improvement event to ensure skill levels met Air Force Reserve Command readiness requirements. The new grade restructure gives senior leaders more flexibility to meet mission requirements and gives Airmen more opportunities to promote. It also aligns with Lt. Gen. Richard Scobee’s strategic priorities of reforming the organization, building resilient leaders and accelerating readiness. Scobee is the Air Force Reserve chief and AFRC commander.
“With the restructure of the AFRC enlisted grade authorizations, we are in a position to promote the right Airmen into the right vacancies and capitalize on that individual’s leadership potential,” Chief Master Sgt. Timothy White, AFRC command chief said.
The approved grade changes apply to all statuses within the enlisted Reserve force: Active Guard Reserve members, Air Reserve technicians, traditional reservists and individual mobilization augmentees. The AFRC enlisted grade council will chart the changes and will periodically review, evaluate and manage the enlisted force structure to utilize the Reserve force more efficiently, White explained.
White manages the AFRC council with the command’s chief enlisted managers. Final approval of the grade changes rests with Scobee.
However, not all enlisted grade authorizations will be upgraded. There will be a reduction in grade authorizations for 2% of the enlisted force. Personnel currently in those grades will not be impacted. Any desired position moves will be managed by AFRC’s Manpower, Personnel and Services directorate, local force support squadrons and Reserve Integration Office detachments.
“The changes on October 1 serve to create a more efficient enlisted force, increase mission readiness and enhance force development across the command,” Chief Master Sgt. Eric Smith, AFRC Chief Enlisted Manager Command and Special Staff said. He also worked closely with senior leadership on the enlisted grade review. According to Smith, the enlisted grade council will continue to meet regularly to review this restructure.
With the implementation of the new enlisted force structure finalized, AFRC is now shifting focus to the officer corps, with an officer force structure and force mix initial review started in July to begin the process of ensuring accurate force mix across all ranks.AFWN 



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