JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
More than 320 people attended the Vehicle Transformation and Acquisition Council conference at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, Aug. 6-10, 2018.
Hosted by Langley Air Force Base’s 441st Vehicle Support Chain Operations Squadron, vehicle fleet managers across the U.S. Air Force came to JBLE to partake in the annual VTAC conference.
“It gives us the chance to come together as a [career field],” said U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Miriam Pestilos, 441st VSCOS superintendent. “We want to make sure that all the information about new innovations, new technology and [changes] out there in our career field are discussed here.”
Along with hosting VTAC, the 441st VSCOS is in charge of transforming and maintaining the vehicle fleet across the Air Force. They budget and ensure field units have the right quantity of vehicles needed to perform daily duties.
The driving point of the conference was to promote continuity throughout the career field, said Tech. Sgt. Kevin Moss, 441st VSCOS transformation and sustainment flight NCO in charge.
“We’re taking everybody from every piece of the globe and putting them in one place to talk about how to fleet management better,” said Moss. “Our mission is to deliver dynamic vehicle solutions to the warfighter. By having a conference like this, we come up with ideas and we whittle processes down to deliver the most effective product that we can in a timely fashion.”
Along with the career field briefings, individuals also got the opportunity to take part in a vendor showcase where General Services Administration vendors demonstrated tools, new technology and vehicles.
One of the main attractions of the vendor showcase was the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, which will replace the Humvee in fiscal year 2019. The JLTV program is led by the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps, and offers greater capabilities in terms of payload capacity, survivability and performance.
Throughout the week, participants were given the opportunity to attend six different classes geared towards their career field, two of which were Community College of the Air Force accredited.
“I think it’s very important that our people are trained on […] how to use new advancements in our career field,” Pestilos said.
Covering everything from the changes in the career field, logistics, manning, training and budgeting, the 441st VSCOS makes sure that VTAC works to increase the livelihood of vehicle management, ensuring vehicle management Airmen and civilians across the Air Force have all the tools, knowledge and technology they need to complete their mission.