LeMay Center holds first Service Core Function Symposium Published July 31, 2009 By Capt. Jennifer Lovett LeMay Center MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- As Airmen continue to fight wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, they work side-by-side with warfighters from the Army, Navy and Marines as well as coalition partners from around the globe. The doctrinaires at the LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education concluded a symposium Tuesday that helped define the new Service Core Functions that will enable Airmen to articulate the full gamut of missions that the Air Force provides to the joint force. "The Air Force's first Service Core Functions Symposium worked to provide everyone from a new Airman to the most seasoned Pentagon veteran an understanding of where they fit in the Air Force "enterprise," said Mr. J.P. Hunerwadel, LeMay Center symposium director. The list of Service Core Functions was recently approved by the Air Force to support its core mission areas. They were broadly defined as activities mandated by Department of Defense Directive 5100.1 as requirements to achieve the strategic objectives found in both the National Defense and National Military Strategies. Each SCF was accompanied by an initial list of underlying elements intended to tie the SCFs to specific missions and tasks accomplished by Air Force units. "But those elements required further development and refinement," said Lt. Col. Fred McNeil, LeMay Center Doctrine Development division chief. "This symposium brought together leaders and experts from around the Air Force to gain consensus on those missions and definitions." There was a real need for common language between the Air Force's warfighters - the usual audience for doctrine - and those on the "corporate management" side of the Air Force - the programmers, planners and "budgeteers," said Mr. Hunerwadel. The two groups have lacked common terminology and so have sometimes worked at cross purposes, he said. The symposium brought together many of the key players in both communities in a way that allowed them to decide on common terms and frames of reference. "We were able to define the missions for the benefit of the warfighter, which should help Airmen better communicate airpower with our joint partners," said Colonel McNeil. "Unfolding those capabilities for the Air Force enables us to speak a common language and articulate our mission in a joint environment in a succinct manner across the spectrum." Once the chief of staff approves the symposium's results, the Service Core Function missions will be incorporated into Air Force and joint doctrine.