913th Airlift Group response to the COVID-19

1. The COVID-19 virus response has been rapidly changing from all levels of our government, from the federal to the state to the local level. My top concern is the safety and health of our Airmen and their families while ensuring we can complete our mission essential tasks. To those ends, I am issuing the following guidance for the 913th Airlift Group, effective immediately.

2. Our April UTA, scheduled for April 2-5, will be rescheduled to September 14-17. Please work with your chain of command on options you would like to take in the wake of this decision. One option is to reschedule your days to anytime from 8 June through 30 September. Another is to be granted an excusal. A third, which is still being fleshed out, is the possibility of teleworking. If that option interests you, expect further guidance on how to execute that possibility soon. To schedule any remaining annual training, please contact your chain of command.

3. Currently we have very few mission essential obligations to fulfill, but the ones we do have I am fully committed to accomplishing. Per HQ Air Force guidance, any deployment tasking is mission essential. We are only slated for a few at the moment, but those few deployment taskings are my highest priority to support in the short-term.

4. Our Host Wing and Installation Commander have directed the local area to be defined as within the state of Arkansas. As a result, any member of the 913 AG living outside of the state of Arkansas requires approval to report to Little Rock AFB. If you feel it necessary to report to the base, route your request with supporting information through your chain of command and await a final decision.

5. I have directed our Public Affairs Office to keep the most up-to-date information disseminated across our various forms of mass media. Please periodically review those to make sure you know the latest information with regards to the COVID-19 health threat and our current 913 AG posture. 6. Finally, I’d like to thank all of you, fellow Citizen Airmen, for your patience and understanding as we grapple with this evolving public health threat. Your safety is of paramount concern to me and your group and squadron leadership, and I have no doubt continued evolution in our response to COVID-19 will be forthcoming.