WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – In an effort to streamline and better organize its international affairs activities, the Air Force Materiel Command recently appointed Brig. Gen. Brian Bruckbauer, to serve as director of the command’s newly created International Affairs (IA) Directorate.
Bruckbauer, currently the director of the Air Force Security Assistance and Cooperation Directorate (AFSAC), will lead both AFSAC and the IA Directorate simultaneously.
As leader of AFSAC, an organization responsible for the vast majority of the Air Force and command’s multi-billion dollar foreign military sales (FMS) enterprise, Bruckbauer was a natural choice to head the AFMC office.
As director of the new office, responsibilities will include developing and implementing security cooperation/security assistance, international affairs and FMS policies across AFMC. In addition, he will oversee and manage all FMS-funded resources across the command and execute Foreign Disclosure Office and Arms Export Control Act authorities.
“It’s always helpful to have a single organization watching out for the interests of the wide ranging types of activities that are occurring across this command,” said Bruckbauer. “Because this is our business day in and day out, we are able to understand better than anyone else how policies or budgets are effecting the IA enterprise across our command. We are very well plugged in. Because we do this every day, we are well postured to make sure the command is being taken care of.”
Being the director of AFMC/IA will help Bruckbauer in his role as head of AFSAC.
“A lot of times at AFSAC we have the responsibility for executing international affairs type activities across the command but we don’t necessarily have the authority to do it,” he said. “This additional position now gives me the authority to do various international affairs activities across the command.”
He went on to add that his top priorities are meeting command intent and ensuring there are adequate resources command-wide including facilities and people to carry out international activities.
“We are going to work with Gen. Bunch [AFMC commander] to ensure we are aligned with his priorities for the command, and are executing things from an international perspective that meet his intent,” said Bruckbauer. “As you know, our foreign military sales are increasing at a rapid rate. Increased sales impact the command and that’s important to him, our Air Force and country, so getting it right is important.”