U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- A new directorate opened here Aug. 1.
Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson, the Academy superintendent, said the Directorate of Operations and Analysis, or A-3/9, is designed to give headquarters-level oversight for events, operations and assessments.
“The directorate provides disciplined and deliberate approval, oversight and tasking authority,” she said. “The move better allows us to ensure alignment and integration among our mission elements with institutional priorities.”
The A-3 staff is responsible for operations and the A-9 staff is responsible for analysis and assessments.
Among the major Academy events and projects the A-3/9 staff will oversee are high-level annual events including graduation, Parents’ Weekend, and high-level Air Force leadership visits and programs contributing to the Academy’s mission of developing leaders of character, such as the Airmanship Program.
Col. David Kuenzli, head of the new directorate, said the A-3/9 staff manages the Academy events calendar, represents the Academy during exercises and emergencies, and assesses Academy effectiveness.
”Combining operations with analysis gives Academy leadership the ability to direct operations, monitor execution, and then assess our effectiveness,” he said. “This integration provides better insight to Academy leaders for future decision-making,”
The Academy’s A-Staff is comprised of Airmen responsible for the administrative, operational and logistical needs of the base. It provides information between commanding officers and the mission elements -- subordinate units. The A-staff is designed to filter information needed by Johnson and her subordinate commanders.