News

McChord becomes part of Joint Base Lewis-McChord

  • Published
  • By Sandra Pishner
  • 446th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash./ --  Reservists in the 446th Airlift Wing will no longer report to McChord Air Force Base, Wash., for their Reserve drill weekends or any other homestation tour of duty. Reservists will now be required to report to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, McChord Field, effective Feb. 1.

Granted, the location where 446th Airlift Wing Reservists perform most of their duties is physically the same place, the name is changing. With the arrival Feb. 1 of Initial Operational Capability of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, the names of the three primary areas of the installation officially change, also. Main Post becomes JBLM Main, North Fort becomes JBLM North and McChord Air Force Base will be known as JBLM McChord Field.

Feb. 1 is the start of initial operation capability for Joint Base Lewis-McChord, a milestone that represents the beginning, rather than the end, of a three-phased transition process set into motion in 2007 by the Department of Defense.

"We sincerely believe that this is a natural step, the right thing to do," said Col. Thomas Brittain, the Fort Lewis U.S. Army garrison commander who on that day will uncase the colors to assume command of the joint base.

"We've served side-by-side with the Air Force around the world -- and now we are going to live and work together at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. In the process, we're going to become more efficient and effective. We absolutely think that the sum is going to be greater than the parts."

Col. Kenny Weldon, the Air Force officer who commands 62nd Mission Support Group at McChord Air Force Base, will become the JBLM deputy commander on the same day.

Colonel Brittain and his command sergeant major, Command Sgt. Maj. Matthew Barnes, will case the Army garrison's colors and uncase those of DOD's newest joint base at 10 a.m., Feb. 1, at JBLM Headquarters, Building 1010, at the intersection of Liggett and Kaufman avenues. Information briefings at Carey Theater at 11 a.m. and McChord Theater at 1:30 p.m. will apprise employees, civilian and uniformed, of changes and new requirements, and answer questions from the internal workforce.

In its scale, Joint Base Lewis-McChord is the most complex and difficult of the Army-led consolidations under the direction of the Department of Defense's Base Realignment and Closure Commission, Colonel Brittain said. Eleven other installations are in various stages of the same process.

By design, few of those living or working on the new joint base will notice any change at all.

For Reservists in the 446th Airlift Wing, will continue to work in concert with its 62nd Airlift Wing partners in executing the mission, but now installation support will come from the Joint Base Lewis-McChord organization.  The 446th AW remains a supported unit on the installation reporting to the Air Force Reserve Command.

According to Chief Master Sgt. Jeanmarie Kautzman, the new mailing address for McChord AFB will be Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA.

"Please update your return address labels and notify all the appropriate companies or agencies you receive mail from," said the chief. "If you deal with UPS, DHL or Fed Express, please notify them also. If you have Business Reply Mail envelopes that you have paid for; use them up and get new ones printed when needed.

"Mail addressed to McChord AFB will still arrive via the postal service, and the base realizes that this is going to take time, but we have to start on our end now."

According to the chief, you cannot type JBLM WA; it must be spelled out - Joint Base Lewis-McChord WA 98438.

As joint base commander, Colonel Brittain is responsible to deliver installation services to all DOD customers on the joint base. The first and third two-month phases will gear up and wind down transitional activities. They will flank a more substantive, four-month phase from April 1 through July 31, during which the most complex organizations will consolidate.

"Our approach was that we're going to do the relatively easy things in Phase 1," said Colonel Brittain, "(including) the smaller organizations and some components of the larger ones. Then we get a little bit more complex and we learn from our mistakes as we move forward."

The process will culminate Oct. 1 in achievement of Full Operational Capability, which marks the completion of all remaining consolidations. (Don Kramer, Northwest Guardian, contributed to this story)