Air Force Reserve unit grows to meet total force needs

  • Published
  • By Capt. Jessica Martin
  • 926th Group Public Affairs
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. --  The 926th Group, an Air Force Reserve Command unit, is recruiting part-time and full-time reservists to support a rapidly growing mission here.

The group has 137 available positions to fill. The goal is to reach 511 people by 2013.

"We are proud to answer the call of the Regular Air Force," said Col. David Culbertson, 926th Group commander. "As long as the Air Force Reserve continues to increase in size, we'll continue to recruit highly skilled professionals to join our team."

Activated in October 2007, the 926th GP is a classic associate unit to the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center. Group reservists work side-by-side with their active-duty counterparts on a daily basis as part of the Total Force Integration initiative.

The group supports the USAFWC's mission of ensuring deployed forces are well-trained and well-equipped to conduct integrated combat operations by certifying equipment, developing tactics, and providing premiere education and exercise venues.

"In our classic association, the USAFWC provides the mission assets, and we provide the people," Colonel Culbertson said.

The group is made up of part-time traditional reservists and full-time Air Guard and Reserve members and air reserve technicians. They perform a variety of missions across the nation.

At Nellis the units include the 706th Fighter Squadron, 926th Mission Support Squadron, 926th Aero Medical Flight and 926th GP Detachment 2 (aircraft maintenance). Other group units are the 78th Reconnaissance Squadron operating unmanned aerial systems at Creech AFB, Nev.; the 26th Space Aggressor Squadron at Schriever AFB, Colo.; the 84th Test and Evaluation Squadron at Eglin AFB, Fla.; and the 706th FS Detachment 1 at Hurlburt Field, Fla.

Recruiters said that there are many positions to be filled because of the variety of missions at these different locations. Some of the critically manned positions they are looking to fill include operations intelligence, imagery analysis, tactical aircraft maintenance, aircraft electrical and environmental systems, and avionics systems on F-16, F-15 and A-10 aircraft. Other career fields in high demand are fighter pilots, unmanned aerial system pilots, intelligence officers, healthcare providers, civil engineers, staff judge advocates and chaplains

People can see a complete listing of available positions by visiting the Air Force Personnel Center secure site at http://ask.afpc.randolph.af.mil/ and clicking on "Secure Apps" and then "Reserve Vacancies." (Air Force Reserve Command News Service)