Air Force announces band restructure; AFMC's two bands impacted

  • Published
  • Air Force Materiel Command Public Affairs
As part of an ongoing service-wide search for efficiencies, the Air Force announced March 6 the restructure of the service's military band program. The announcement, along with other force changes, was made as part of the Air Force's broader force structure measures.

Air Force Materiel Command's two bands, the USAF Band of Liberty and the USAF Band of Flight, are included in the restructure. The 45-member Band of Liberty, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., will be deactivated, and the Band of Flight, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, will be downsized from 45 to 15 members.

"The reduction of band personnel across the Air Force parallels the overall Air Force decrease in active-duty and reserve personnel levels," said Ron Fry, director of public affairs at AFMC headquarters. "Air Force bands help build, maintain and strengthen morale, and improve community relations for the Air Force. Those missions will continue, but in a more efficient, targeted and prioritized way."

The Band of Flight presently serves a seven-state region. Under the restructure, it will support events in and around Wright-Patterson and the rest of Ohio only. The Band of Liberty presently serves the New England area. Following its deactivation, that area will be served by the USAF Band of Heritage from Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.

It is planned for bands to maintain their current rate of operations until about June 2013 when manpower realignments will begin. The restructure will be complete by Sept. 30, 2013. Personnel from bands being deactivated or downsized will be reassigned to other Air Force regional bands as the band career field's attrition rate should absorb the restructure's reduction of 103 positions Air Force wide.

The Band of Liberty was known originally as the 541st Air Force Band of the Southwest stationed at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., until the unit relocated to Pease AFB, N.H., in 1978. In 1991, the band received its current name and was assigned to AFMC's Electronics Systems Center at Hanscom.

The Band of Flight was activated on Sept. 24, 1942, at Patterson Field -- later Wright-Patterson -- as the 361st Army Air Force Band. Following several name changes, it was redesignated as The Air Force Band of Flight in 1991.

The band restructure plan, approved by the Air Force Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force, is designed to properly align limited Air Force resources against ongoing requirements and is based on the geographic prioritization of resources and capabilities. The restructure is one of many initiatives across the Air Force with the goal of creating efficiencies and maintaining effective capabilities.

In addition to impacts on the two AFMC bands, the restructure plan includes the deactivation of two bands, The Band of the Air Force Reserve, Robins AFB, Ga., and the Band of the Pacific-Alaska, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson; and the downsizing from 45 to 15 authorizations of The Heartland of America Band, Offutt AFB, Neb.

The Air Force's premiere band in Washington D.C. recently underwent a separate restructure.