360th TRS and 362nd TRS merge

  • Published
  • By Maj. A.J. Griffin
  • 360th Training Squadron
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  As part of an ongoing effort to achieve manpower savings under Program Budget Decision 720, three squadrons in the 82nd Training Group began their reorganization and realignment journey March 13. 

The 360th Training Squadron and the 362nd TRS will merge together and retain the 362nd TRS designation, while the resource management flight, made up of the Aircraft Maintenance and Munitions Officers Course and the Maintenance Scheduling and Analysis course will transfer to the 363rd TRS. 

The maintenance scheduling and maintenance analysis course will be transferred over to the 363rd TRS. This new alignment places all the Air Force's crew chief training under one commander, and all its nuclear munitions and maintenance officer training under another. 

The moves began in the first week of March as the Resource Management Flight began its transition to the 363rd TRS. The stimulus behind this move was the Air Force's renewed focus on nuclear training since this move will consolidate both enlisted and officer nuclear weapons and conventional munitions training under one commander. 

The 363rd TRS will have accountability over all nuclear weapons maintenance technical training and be able to work directly with Air Staff, Major Commands and the Nuclear Weapons Center at Kirtland Air Force Base concerning course development and changes within the career fields. Efficiencies will be gained by having a single voice for nuclear training and ensuring the training outcomes meet field requirements. 

There will be six nuclear training courses, both officer and enlisted consolidated under one commander. In addition to the nuclear training, AMMOC also brings conventional munitions training, aircraft maintenance training and the Maintenance Officers Intermediate Course. 

Later, in July of this year, the 360th TRS guidon will be cased and all its flights and elements transferred to the 362nd TRS. Heavy, fighter, rotary wing, and tilt wing crew chief training will be consolidated under one unit. During the planning leading up to the merger, the two squadrons have been benchmarking off their successes as they combine the fighter and heavy crew chief communities to take on the challenges of maintaining the Air Force's newest high tech fighters as well as war dogs that have served for many years. 

The new squadron will maintain the 362nd Training Squadron lineage and will keep the bulldog as the squadron mascot. It will be an amazing challenge, melding 280 instructors and staff and over 1,100 Airmen in training together under one organization. 

The planning has been in action for almost nine months and squadron leadership from both the 360th TRS and 362nd TRS are confident the transition will be seamless. 

The 82 TRG Commander summed it up, "make no mistake, this will be a challenge leading 1,000 plus Airmen, but it is the right move, given the mandate to reduce manpower. In the long run, the move will strengthen the methods we use to train and develop our maintenance leaders and technicians." 

This is an exciting time for maintenance training in the 82nd Training Group as each squadron prepares to meet the coming challenges with success. The final move will come in July, when Maj. Terry Koester relinquishes command and Lt. Col. Jim Mullin takes the guidon to become the new commander of largest training squadron in the Air Force.