Mission
The Plans and Programs Division guides Department of the Air Force mortuary affairs and honor guard program development and policy oversight, directs the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Commander Inspection Program and leads Unit Types Code posturing, exercises, readiness, plans and training programs for national crisis and mass fatalities. The division is comprised of four primary sections: Education and Training, Readiness, Honor Guard Program Management and Internal and External Inspections.
The Education and Training section oversees the training and development of AFMAO civilian and military employees. In this section, the Unit Training Manager plans and executes Force Support Contingency Training-Mortuary. Education and Training liaises with various outside agencies, such as the Eaker Center at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, to ensure AFMAO members attend mission essential training (Contingency War Planner’s Course, Basic Military Mountaineer Course) as well as the execution of the Mortuary Officer and Technician course.
The Readiness section serves as the readiness and mortuary functional expert for Headquarters Air Force Services Directorate, supporting a variety of Air Force and Department of Defense exercises, operations, planning engagements and events. The section maintains responsibility for updating mortuary UTCs while overseeing the deployment reception and redeployment process for approximately 60 members tasked to deploy to AFMAO annually. They provide training and contingency guidance through oversight of unit, Major Command, Headquarters Air Force and joint-level mortuary plans. Additionally, the Readiness section executes an internal exercise program, preparing AFMAO for mass fatality incident response and continuity of operations procedures.
The Honor Guard Program Management section provides management oversight, policy, guidance and support to Air Force-wide Honor Guard programs. They coordinate with the Air Force Honor Guard at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C., to develop curriculum, direct and instruct three Honor Guard Program Managers courses annually. The Honor Guard Program Management section leads 141 total force units who deliver more than 40,000 Military Funeral Honors annually. They also serve as the Munitions Functional Manager for HAF A1S, validating and approving more than $1 million in operational assets for funerals, training and ceremonies.
The Internal and External Inspections section oversees AFMAO’s internal Commander’s Inspection Program, preparing the unit for DoD Mortuary Facility inspections and Air Force Inspection Agency Unit Effectiveness Inspections. This section oversees five active and inactive Air Force cemeteries, to include the U.S. Air Force Academy. They ensure standards and measures set forth by the Army National Military Cemeteries are met, as part of the Department of Defense requirement. The Inspections section also manages DAFI 34-160, Mortuary Affairs Program, the mortuary affairs Self-Assessment Communicator within Management Internal Control Toolset and provides mortuary and honor guard policies and support to more than 90 installations worldwide, overseeing a continuous evaluation process which communicates the status of installation programs to MAJCOM Inspector General prior to wing Unit Effectiveness Inspections.