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Meet the new Mobilization Assistant

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Hillary Stonemetz
  • Air Force Recruiting Service Public Affairs
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas --  Col. Robert Ament, former active duty fighter pilot and Reserve helicopter pilot, arrived March 17 as the Air Force Recruiting Service Mobilization Assistant to the commander.

Ament, who lives near Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., was so enthusiastic about serving as the AFRS/MA, he left immediately to travel to headquarters AFRS and spent two weeks getting spun-up on the people and mission.

"I love the AFRS mission," he said. "I've chosen to take this time and get out here immediately to get into the job as quickly as I can. It's an opportunity to look to the absolute next generation all the way across. We have recruiters going out and finding who will take the Air Force to the next level."

Ament learned to fly when he was 12 years old, had his first solo flight at age 16 and his pilot's license at 17. He served in the Civil Air Patrol before attending the Air Force Academy. After graduating in 1984, he became a T-37B instructor pilot then flew F-15Cs before separating from active duty and joining the Air Force Reserve as an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter pilot in 1993. When he is not on Reserve orders, he's a pilot for American Airlines.

"I was handed the Air Force at the end of Vietnam," Ament said. "I first started in ROTC in 1979. With that era and mentality with the things that were going on, the Air Force was in rough shape. It has transformed into a very clean, cutting-edge, amazing organization."

Through the next transformation of the Air Force, it is essential for recruiters to communicate with future Airmen through their technology, he said.

"My smartphone took me a long time to figure out, but I can hand it to my son or daughter and they can figure it out in 12 seconds and fix any problem," Ament said. "The recruiters will need to identify and communicate with this generation. That's the way AFRS transforms and that's what's needed now. We need to keep up with technology of this generation to make sure we present the right image and we have credibility with them."

Ament believes one transformation that is needed for a successful Air Force is Total Force Integration, which combines the active duty, Guard and Reserve as one unit.

"I'm a total believer in total force," he said. "We have a lot to learn on how to do things better between the Active, Guard and Reserve recruiters. If we are going to be cut back as much as we have with sequestration and descending budgets, we are going to have to do things smarter."

As for his time in AFRS, Ament is eager to meet the recruiters in the field.

"I've already set up on opportunity to meet the 372nd Recruiting Group at the end of June," he said. "I'm going to start in Utah and end up in Alaska; it will probably take five or six days."

Ament is also excited about molding future Airmen.

"Here I am, in the twilight of my career, getting ready to hand it off to the next generation and looking in their faces is amazing. That's the best part of this job. I look forward to when I retire and hand off the Air Force to the 18- and 19-year-olds so they can take it from here and keep it the best in the world."