UDMs—‘Getting the Airman out the door’ Published Feb. 10, 2010 By Bekah Clark 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Normally a heavy equipment operator, Tech. Sgt. Jason Foster has found himself in the role of primary Unit Deployment Manager for the 375th Civil Engineer Squadron at Scott. This is the first time in his career that Sergeant Foster has filled the position of UDM, which he began six months ago. He is the lead for 375th CES' five-person UDM team. He, along with, Staff Sgts. Wade Meadows and Dwain Tyler-Jones, Senior Airmen Bobby Williams and Casey Garwood comprise the other team responsible for identifying, training and equipping Airmen of the 375th CES. The 375th CES is one of the most deployed units at Scott. "Our main role is to get Airmen ready to go--to make sure they're trained and equipped with whatever they need for a successful deployment," said Sergeant Foster. "Whatever it takes, we're involved in every aspect of getting the Airman out the door." When a deployment tasking comes to the UDM, the team goes through records to determine which Airmen are eligible and the best choice to meet combatant commander requirements. The team then presents Airmen who meet the requirements to the 375th CES commander who ultimately decides who will fill the slot. Once an Airman has been selected for deployment, the UDMs serve as a central point for all deployment requirements. This prevents deploying Airmen from "floating out in the blue wondering where do I go to accomplish this," Sergeant Foster said. For every deployment there are special reporting instructions. This is especially true if the deploying Airman is supporting a Joint Expeditionary Tasking, a deployment primarily with members of another branch of service. "For regular Air Force taskings, our Airmen are usually trained, equipped and ready to go," he said. "But if it's a Joint Expeditionary Tasking, usually to support the Marines or the Army, we have to gear ourselves to their mindset and training." Some deployments might not require any specialized training, but some might require specific combat skills or weapons training, said Sergeant Foster. He and his team are also charged with the responsibility of keeping track of cargo that Airmen are deploying with, and making sure that it's packed properly on pallets. The team is also authorized to administer any unit-specific training to deploying Airmen. "The squadron has oversight on chemical, biological, radioactive, nuclear and explosive training, and we also have Self-Aid and Buddy Care instructors, so we can administer those training sessions," he said. Even after an Airman has deployed, UDMs remain engaged to help with any challenges a deployed Airman might run into, such as difficulty getting home when their deployment is finished. Sergeant Foster's team also stays engaged to learn how they can better train and equip the next round of deployers. "We train and equip our folks based on what the requirement says, but if an Airman deploys and gives us feedback on what additional training he or she could have used, we can better train the next Airman who gets tasked for a similar deployment," he said. The biggest challenge Sergeant Foster's team faces is time management. "There's so much that goes on in the office, we're constantly working multiple issues for deployments in support of ongoing operations, and we're also supporting the exercises our squadron participates in," he said. "Most days, we're not working the normal 7 a.m to 4 p.m. office hours, we're here till 5 or 6 p.m., working 10 hour days to make sure we're on top of everything," he said. UDMs are provided with some training, such as how to select deployment candidates, and record and report information, but the details are hard to cover, Sergeant Foster said. "Like most jobs, you don't understand the intricacies of it until you actually dive into it." Despite long hours and the variety and number of requirements that Sergeant Foster and team facilitate, they know what they're doing is important. "We're helping train and equip our Airmen so they can meet the requirements of the combatant commander," he said. "We're not deployed, but we're still enabling the deployed locations to accomplish their mission, whether it's to support relief operations in Haiti or in support of Operation Enduring or Iraqi Freedom."