August 10, 2010

AlamoChapter AIR FORCE ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 34261 San Antonio TX 78265-4261
www.alamoafa.org
AN INDEPENDENT NONPROFIT AEROSPACE ORGANIZATION

ALAMO AFA
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING
August 10, 2010
MINUTES

CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by Alamo AFA Chapter President Randy Coggins. This month’s meeting was held at the downtown USO.

ATTENDANCE
The following individuals signed in as attending: Randy Coggins, Mike Nishimuta, Alan Beaty, Steven Bachelor, Darin Defendorf, Al Swaim, Joan Lopez, Marissa Smith, Orlando Martinez, Bill Croom, Douglas Nelson, John Shroyer, Dan O’Neal, Brent Boller, Gina McKeen, Debbie Landry, Carlos Massiatte, Jerome Fletcher, and Tom Peterson.

TREASURER'S REPORT
The April 2010 report was accepted as presented.

AWARD Recognition
Randy Coggins recognized Gina McKeen for being selected a winner of the National AFA Medal of Merit Award which will be presented at the National Convention this fall. Randy will accept the award for Gina and have it forwarded to her at her next assignment.

VP POSITIONS
The following open VP position assignments were announced by Randy Coggins:
19th Air Force
12th Wing
Communications
While the executive staff is actively looking for members to fill these positions, they would appreciate hearing form anyone who wishes to volunteer or knows of someone who could fill these positions.

COMBAT BREAKFAST
The date of the combat breakfast this year has been moved to the end of the Celebrate America’s Military Week’s events and is tentatively set for November 9th. This was done to avoid conflict with National Election Day. Jerome Fletcher has volunteered to head up this activity again this year.






CHAPTER CALENDAR REVIEW
The on-line calendar is available on the chapter web-site at alamoafa.org.

NCO BRIEFING
John Shroyer and John Pope will work on the NCO briefing program to update the photographs and text to reflect recent audience response fed-back.

NEW CHAPTER PRESENTATION ASSETS
Mike Nishimuta presented some options to enhance our presence at various public venues. These include events where the chapter booth is too large or labor intensive to set up. He is researching chapter AFA business cards with digital contacts, roll-up banners and customized table covers.
A format for the roll-up display was circulated and approved with comments as added at this meeting.

2011 AWARDS BANQUET
Next year’s Blue Suit and Loos Banquet with be held on March 10, 2011 at the Lackland Gateway Club. Debra Landry will oversee preparations as POC. More to come in future meetings.

COMPANY GRADE OFFICER COUNCIL UPDATE
Gina McKeen gave an update on the activities of the CGOC. They are investigating working with Alamo AFA on future AF Birthday Balls.

EN PARKER PROGRAM
Joan Lopez reported that the Texas State AFA has distributed to all chapter presidents the suspense dates for next year’s program.

PUBLIC RELATIONS
Al Swaim, the chapter ‘s new Public Relations VP, reported on his recent update from the National AFA Director of Government Relations. A summary follows. The referenced file on the QDR should be available soon on the chapter web-site.

“Thanks for reaching out to us. I hope all is well. The issues break down in a few different categories—personnel, hardware, and general policy.

1. Personnel—As the Alternative QDR highlighted, it will be very difficult to sustain the current personnel bill amidst the current budget pressures. It is certainly critical that we take care of the members of the all-volunteer force, but we also need to think about pursuing policy options that are both effective and efficient. This opens up a unique opportunity for the AF because we can attain effects through technology, etc that are not so personnel-intensive. On a more pragmatic level, I would expect that many benefits, such as Tricare, will be reviewed and potentially revised. The budget challenges will make it highly unlikely that new benefits programs are passed.
2. Recapitalization will be a continued challenge. There simply is very little money for this activity. KC-X, F-35, and life extensions on the legacy fore are the main focus points. The next gen bomber is a critical recap issue, but I am not sure how it will fare budget-wise. Almost all recap decisions will largely be governed by budgetary concerns, not policy considerations.
3. The nation is focused on two large-scale occupations for the past decade. While we must succeed in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is fundamental to realize that the various threat environments that exist around the world look far different than what we see in current combat operations. Anti-access environments, ability to utilize regional bases, and information network operability may be major challenges in the future. Current investments are very focused on Iraq and Afghanistan. They are not reflective of the broader threat environment we may face in the coming decades.
I attached a file that may be of use to you as you consider these issues. The general vectors are worth considering. Bottom line, the country is in a precarious situation financially. We need to be doing things more effectively and efficiently. The AF plays a major role in enabling these solutions. However, the AF needs to stand up and advocate for itself and its capabilities throughout this process. It’s also worth reading this: http://www.the-american-interest.com/article.cfm?piece=861
Douglas A. Birkey Air Force Association Director of Government Relations 703-247-5804 dbirkey@afa.org”

SECRETARY REPORT
The minutes from last meeting were presented. A motion to approve as written was seconded and approved.

UPCOMING EVENTS

AFA TEXAS FALL EXECUTIVE MEETING 29-31 OCT 2010
The AFA Texas Fall Executive Committee will be held in Fort Worth at the Radisson @ Fossil Creek for $89 a night and hosted by the Fort Worth Chapter.

AFA NATIONAL CONVENTION 11 – 12 Sept 2010

AIR AND SPACE CONFERENCE AND TECHNOLOGY EXPOSITION
13 – 15 Sept 2010 at the Gaylord National Hotel, Washington, DC

ARCON MEETING
Angelo State ROTC will be holding an ARCON meeting in San Antonio this fall.




PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS
For the past several years the chapter has used, for Executive Council meetings, the facilities generously provided by the USO. Since the recent USO renovations, the area for meetings is not as private as before. In addition parking costs have increased. While we will continue to utilize the USO for the near future we should be investigating other options available for the future. Areas of concern are parking, meeting space functionality, centralized location, access for members without military ID cards, and any costs involved. This issue will be explored more at future meetings and input/suggestions from members are requested.



The meeting was adjourned by Alamo AFA President Randy Coggins.

Next meeting is planned for September 14, at the downtown USO.





Tom Peterson
Alamo AFA Chapter 234 Secretary
August 30, 2010