VCOs keep wheels on roads Published June 23, 2010 By Tech. Sgt. Thomas Dow Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- With 1,023 vehicles and equipment worth millions of dollars, the 5th Logistics Readiness Squadron's vehicle management sections have their hands full. Accounting for maintenance, usage and fueling of Minot AFB's cars, trucks and specialized equipment can be an enormous task. This is where an often overlooked and underappreciated role of the Vehicle Control Officer comes into play to help manage the seemingly overwhelming fleet. "We are the largest fleet in AFGSC and the 12th largest in the entire Air Force," said Troy Senger, 5th LRS accident and abuse monitor and vehicle control functional. "We have 68 trained VCNCO's and VCO's on base. That's roughly one VCO for every 15 vehicles on base." Minot currently has approximately $90 million in vehicle and equipment assets. This does not take into account the maintenance care program for routine maintenance and fixing occurred damage budgeted for approximately $1.7 million. "As you can see the government funds a lot of money for general and special vehicle assets that we at Minot utilize every day," said Senger. "Having a VCO to oversee the vehicles in his or her control is the key to keeping these numbers low and the health of Minot's vehicle fleet in a mission ready status. As a VCO, Airmen help ensure effective utilization, training, operator care and scheduled maintenance of their unit's vehicle assets. This is a key way to guarantee the base can accomplish its peace and war time commitments. According to Senger, VCOs are important because people often take work vehicles for granted. However, if the vehicle breaks down and Airmen cannot do their mission, it becomes evident how much we rely on them every day. "Especially if it is a specialized or one-of-a-kind vehicle or piece of equipment," said Senger. "If a B-52 broke and couldn't accomplish the mission it was built for, wouldn't that be notable in the way of national security? While vehicles may not be a matter of national security, it is the means to how we get the job done safely and effectively." For some units on Minot, the VCO program is an additional duty. For others, it is full time job due to the size of vehicle fleet assigned. Yet each unit's VCO is important in the accomplishment of their mission. "All VCO's are appointed in writing by their squadron commander per Air Force Instruction and the duties should not be taken lightly as their mission may depend on it," said Senger. "Being aggressively active in their program, following the VCO guide the 5th LRS leadership has put together over the years, and being diligent on enforcing the rules and regulations and reporting problems to Vehicle Maintenance is key to employing an effective vehicle management program." In the end, with Minot AFB's high operations tempo and a vast fleet, it would seem the role of the VCO would be a futile effort keeping the trucks and cars rolling. However, Senger said the base's VCO force is doing their best to press forward. "I think we all do a good job at maintaining our vehicles but I think there is room for improvement," said Senger. "With budget cuts and a shrinking pot of money, vehicle maintenance sometimes struggles to keep the fleet going at a high mission capable rate. We need to be even more vigilant in taking care of what we have now." "With good operator care established and diligently checked upon by the VCO/VCNCOs, we can help each other accomplish our missions," added Senger. For more information about the VCO program, contact the 5th LRS vehicle control functional at 723-3692.