Unit deployment managers calm preparation process Published March 16, 2011 By Airman 1st Class Heather Heiney 81st Training Wing Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- While preparing for a deployment can be a chaotic task, unit deployment managers are there to help the process run smoothly. UDMs schedule required pre-deployment training, distribute required equipment, assign personnel to an AEF tempo band, update and maintain the AEF Reporting Tool within 24 hours of any change in status, maintain and safeguard deployment folders and much more. This is all as an additional duty on top of the daily tasks required by their primary mission. Master Sgt. Stephen Carter's official job title is air traffic control tower chief controller in the 81st Operations Support Flight, but he doubles as the UDM for the 81st Training Wing staff agencies. Each person preparing to deploy is assigned a unit type code which essentially contains all the information about the individual and their deployment including where they are going and how long they'll be gone, what training and equipment they need before they leave and all pertinent dates. Sergeant Carter said an average day as a UDM consists of answering commander, supervisor and member questions concerning training, tasks and deployment locations, scheduling training, reviewing updated requirements daily and tracking each member's progress and ensuring they are ready to out-process from the base, all while maintaining a balance between UDM tasks and their primary job. "I've gotten a lot of members ready for their first deployment who were very nervous about the whole system of out-processing and deploying," Sergeant Carter said, "It really made me feel like I was making a difference when they told me that I answered all their questions, explained things to them to their satisfaction and made the process from the start of their out-processing to returning to their home station seamless and stress free." Any job, whether primary or additional duty, has its rewards and challenges especially when there's a delicate balance between the two. "The thing I like most about the job is that the 81st Training Wing leadership has complete confidence in me that I'm sending out a Keesler representative to the area of responsibility who is well trained, properly equipped, on time and ready to continue the mission," Sergeant Carter said, "The challenges are keeping up with the changes in Air Force instruction, training and equipment requirements for specific UTCs and AOR locations and also obtaining the most current information on personnel in order to maintain their current status in ART." Once checklists are completed, folders are closed and bags are dragged, the UDM's job is complete and all that's left is for Airmen to say goodbye to their families and friends and board planes on their way to contribute to the Air Force mission.