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12th Flying Training Wing

The 12th Flying Training Wing, headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, develops the next generation of Air Force aviators and enlisted aircrew by providing world-class flying training and education. The wing trains Airmen in the fundamentals of airmanship, instruction and leadership, preparing them for success in operational units across the Air Force. Through undergraduate Combat Systems Officer training, Pilot Instructor Training, Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals, Remotely Piloted Aircraft pilot indoctrination, enlisted aviator training, and other specialized programs, the 12th FTW produces skilled, adaptable, and combat-ready professionals capable of meeting the demands of today's complex operating environment while strengthening the future of American airpower.

 

 

12FTW Units

aircraft mechanic, performs maintenance 12th Maintenance Group
12th Maintenance Group
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Photo of an undergaraduate combat systems officer graduation 479th Flying Training Group
479th Flying Training Group
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An Airman inspects an aircraft 12th Operations Group
12th Operations Group
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Articles

Cost-saving travel initiative projected to save $5M annually

  • Published
  • AFIMSC Public Affairs
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas – A new travel payment process for pipeline students, initiated by the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center, is projected to save the Air Force $5 million a year.
 
The new process - switching which billing account is charged for travel – is a small change yielding tremendous benefits, said Darryl Hamilton, traffic management chief with AFIMSC’s Installation Support Directorate.
 
“We are basically switching from one card to another: a centrally billed account card to a unit card. The only difference is what card the travel management company charges when student travel is booked. It’s that simple,” he said.
 
When the Air Force pays for pipeline student travel with a government-issued, centrally billed account travel card, the charges include a transaction fee of nearly $67 for each student. With 30,000 to 40,000 Airmen completing basic military training and transitioning into  Air Education and Training Command technical schools every year, those fees add up.
 
“The transaction fees assessed by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service cost the Air Force millions of dollars each year,” Hamilton said.
 
To save the Air Force money by reducing the number of high transaction fees, the AFIMSC Installation Support Directorate’s traffic management branch recently began focusing on driving down the number of travelers using a centrally billed account. The branch first worked with the Logistics Readiness Division of the Air Force Directorate of Logistics and the Air Force Financial Management and Comptroller Office to influence a Department of Defense policy requiring all DoD employees to use their individual travel card for official travel.
 
Next, because pipeline students don’t have individual government travel cards, AFIMSC began testing unit card use for their official travel in 2018.
 
“We’re constantly looking for ways to save the government money and make processes more efficient,” Hamilton said.
 
Using a unit card is nothing new. It allows transportation officers to consolidate all students with the same line of accounting to one transaction fee, but they have never been used for this purpose, said Gina Hoover, AFIMSC traffic management specialist.
 
“For years, different organizations – including the Air Force Band, sports teams and units with unique group travel requirements – have used a unit card to procure transportation services, but it’s never been tested on a large scale such as moving BMT graduates to technical school and technical school students to their first duty stations,” she explained.
 
The Air Force started testing the new process at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, in October 2018. The second phase launched April 1 at JBSA-Lackland, Texas. So far, the concept has already saved the Air Force more than $100,000, Hamilton said.
 
In addition to the obvious cost benefit, the reconciliation process is now a lot more streamlined and efficient, said Andrew Burton, passenger travel manager at Keesler.
 
“We found, on the user level, the reconciliation of payment has dropped from several days to minutes,” he said.
 
For the AFIMSC team, the benefits of finding and implementing cost-savings extend beyond efficient travel management.
 
“Think of the money that can be repurposed to support more mission requirements and our warfighters,” Hoover said.
 
The new process is expected to be in place at all AETC locations by September.

Public Affairs Information

Tours of the 12th Flying Training Wing are provided to various community organizations, high schools, businesses, and academic military recruitment programs to educate their members about the 12th FTW mission.

Due to the high volume of requests and limited public affairs resources, tours and static displays are limited.

Please submit all requests in writing to the 12th FTW Public Affairs by email to 12ftw.pa.1@us.af.mil at least three weeks but no more than six weeks in advance. You may also call 210-652-1272.

Tours are not available on weekends and may be cancelled at any time because of increased security measures or mission requirements. The 12th FTW does not host tours of Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph at-large. To schedule a tour of JBSA-Randolph, please contact JBSA-Randolph Public Affairs at 502abw.pa.official@us.af.mil or dial 210-652-4410.

If desired, requestors must arrange all meals. PA will provide contact information to base eateries. Modified tours will be granted for those with limited mobility - this must be stated on the tour request. If not stated, it is assumed that mobility is not an issue.