The Air Force Services team provides mission sustaining combat support and community service to Airmen and their families every day at deployed and home station locations. Our contribution to the Air Force mission is evident in our involvement in worldwide deployments. We are there feeding troops, managing tent cities, operating field exchanges, attending to fallen comrades, and providing fitness activities and off-duty sports programs. Air Force Services delivers a unique capability anywhere in support of Global Reach and Global Power. Our support to deployed forces has been direct and significant. At any given time, nearly 10 percent of Services military members are deployed…we are engaged globally, and our people make a difference - everyday.
Back at home, child care and youth programs help parents cope with daily work situations, as well as being there during deployments. Librarians keep local programs going while providing special support to deployed units. We expand food and lodging programs when reserve forces come in to replace deployed forces. In short, we meet the community needs of Air Force people everyday, but rally special support for the mission when needed.
Our mission is to provide this combat support and community service by delivering mission- sustaining quality of life services. Our vision is to be leaders in innovation, continuously seeking to improve quality of life by providing programs and services Airmen want and need while being a model of efficiency and resource stewardship. We serve the Air Force community through excellence in core competencies, focused innovation, and systematic delivery of products and services to meet constantly changing needs.
Services programs are critical parts of the Air Force readiness and retention equation. Our programs contribute to readiness and productivity by promoting fitness, esprit de corps, and quality of life for Air Force people. The character of this organization must be to create value for Air Force people. To support them and the mission requires organizing, training, and equipping properly to help ensure success. Services activities are funded with a combination of taxpayer dollars or appropriated funds (APFs) and self-generated, nonappropriated funds (NAFs) or troop dollars. Generally, all Services programs (except dining facilities) may be used by individuals who contribute to the Air Force mission. In addition to active duty personnel and their families, the other major users are Guard and Reserve personnel, Air Force civilian employees, and all categories of retired personnel. Active duty personnel and their families have first priority when bases must limit use because of space or other factors. Participation is rarely limited in any activity, except in child care when there is a lack of space, golf tee times on weekends, and in fitness centers during peak periods.
Mr. Art Myers, Director of Air Force Services, states, "We have done a superb job of meeting every challenge we've faced. What Air Force Services is today is a result of the hard work and determination of those who came before us - what we are tomorrow rests with us and with those that will follow - we must prepare them well. Air Force Services are heroes and patriots - people who unselfishly devote their lives to helping others."
Air Force Services is a directorate of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services (HQ USAF/A1) in Washington, D.C. The Air Force Services Agency (HQ AFSVA), a field operating agency under Air Force Services, is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas.
