Kevan Goff-Parker
Staff Writer
Tinker Air Force Base leaders readily shared their knowledge and expertise with Tinker and the Primes Conference attendees on Aug. 14-16 at the Reed Center in Midwest City.
The 13th Annual Tinker and the Primes is designed as a collaborative effort marrying the Air Force’s potential needs with Department of Defense contractors, industry partners, exhibitors and various organizations.
Col. Kenyon Bell, commander of the 72nd Air Base Wing, discusses the Wing’s mission and upcoming projects and how they are vital to Tinker’s daily operations during the 13th Annual Tinker and the Primes held at the Reed Conference Center Aug. 14-16.
It successfully provided potential service and equipment contractors with the opportunity to hear and speak directly with many of Team Tinker’s active military, federal and contract employees.
Led by the Midwest City Chamber of Commerce, local civic leaders and Rose State College, many of Tinker AFB’s lead experts gave insightful presentations, including a keynote speech by Brig. Gen. Chris Hill, commander of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex, on Aug. 15, followed by 72nd Air Base Wing Commander Col. Kenyon Bell and others on Aug. 16
Focused on this year’s conference theme “Assuring our Future through Agility,” Bell’s presentation, “An Agile Power Projection Platform” explored how Tinker AFB supports the needs of approximately 91,000 people (including retirees and military dependents).
“On a daily basis, we have about 30,000 people who work, live and play at Tinker,” Bell said. “The 72nd ABW takes care of everything from roadways to gymnasiums across the installation to ensure readiness.”
Bell described the base’s mission partners, including the largest, the OC-ALC. He also expounded about the many different organizations, including the 552nd Air Control Wing, U.S. Navy, 507th Air Refueling Wing and other units housed at Tinker AFB.
“We’ve got $5.4 billion in resources (and) we have over 19 million square feet in our facilities that we have at the installation and about 5,500 acres is where we stand at Tinker,” Bell said. “There’s not a whole lot of places for us to grow so we have to be very smart about how we utilize the space we have at Tinker.”
He said the base’s infrastructure needs to be updated, maintained and that leadership is now required to find “creative ways” to bring all the infrastructure “up-to-par.”
Bell presented Tinker AFB’s future workload, including the new air traffic control tower “something they can feel safe in,” an Airborne Early Warning and Control simulator facility that is coming soon, as well as the KC-46A Pegasus development.
He said he wished he could show the audience “a picture of all the wonderful Airmen out here depending on what you provide.”
“The best picture that comes to mind, if you’ll imagine with me, our Airman Leadership School, which is at the E4 going into the E5 realm,” Bell said.
“Their graduation is an electrifying event …they are just as excited today to provide us with combat air power. And, it is because of the relationships that we have with you that give them the tools that they need to be able to do the mission that we have in the defense of freedom.”