AFMETCAL gets a new leader

  • Published
  • By Jim Varhegyi
  • Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Public Affairs
HEATH, Ohio --  Lt. Gen. Donna Shipton, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center commander, presided over the Assumption of Leadership ceremony for James Moore as he became the new director of AFLCMC’s Air Force Metrology and Calibration (AFMETCAL) program on Feb. 27.

AFMETCAL falls within AFLCMC’s Combat Readiness directorate of which Shipton is also the Program Executive Officer (PEO).

The team’s mission is to manage the Department of the Air Force Metrology and Calibration Program to ensure Air Force and Space Force systems and equipment are accurate, uniform, reliable, and traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) or other sources as approved by the AFMETCAL team.

Additional responsibilities include development, acquisition, and sustainment of Air Force Primary Reference Standards and Base Reference Standards for both the Air Force Primary Standards Laboratory (AFPSL) and Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratories (PMELs) worldwide.

The AFMETCAL workforce develops, acquires, and sustains precision measurement capabilities while operating a worldwide calibration network to ensure accurate, reliable, and safe air and space systems performance.

Their bottom line is if equipment falls out of standards weapons systems fail and people can die.

Metrology is the science of measurement and is required to ensure that Air Force systems are accurate and can reliably perform their designated missions. The AFMETCAL team’s overall goal is to advance air and space power through measurement science, global operations, and diverse partnerships.

Every system in the Air Force inventory requires some type of accurate and reliable measurement to be made in development or operation. For example, when landing a plane, the pilot counts on the Instrument Landing System to tell them if they are centered on the runway and are making their approach at the proper angle.

A laser-guided bomb requires both the target designator and the guidance sensor on the bomb to operate at the proper wavelength and at correct power levels for a successful munitions delivery.

The weight of aircraft must be known to ensure that they are not overloaded and that they have the proper amount of fuel for safe flights. The accuracy and reliability of all of these systems can be directly traced to measurements made at the (AFPSL).

The team is also responsible for the central management and day to day support of PMELs worldwide to include dealing with facility, logistics, staffing, contracting, and financial issues as well as the programmatic policy and guidance responsibilities.

AFMETCAL is situated in Heath Ohio because it is one of two places in the entire continental United Stated that is seismically stable enough to support the precise equipment they use.

Before taking the lead roll Moore served as AFMETCAL’s deputy director. During the ceremony he commented on the incredible amount of brain power in the room and thanked everyone for their support and their dedication to the AFMETCAL mission.