BOSSIER CITY, La. -- Air Force Global Strike Command hosted a job fair at the Bossier City Civic Center in Bossier, City, Louisiana, Sept. 27, 2016. The event focused on hiring personnel for the Nuclear Command, Control and Communication mission, otherwise known as NC3. The president uses this system to communicate directly with the nation’s nuclear forces.
“This event gives us the ability to give tentative job offers on the spot with prospective hires,” Dr. Mischell Navarro said. “This is the first time in our history where we have direct hire authority to carry out this type of event. We’re looking for candidates who have an interest in cybersecurity, but we’re also looking for those who specialize in program management, information security and budget analysis, to name a few.”
Navarro is the executive director for the command’s Manpower and Personnel Directorate, which is working with the Air Force Personnel Center to meet the requirement for new personnel. The command’s communications directorate, otherwise known as A6, will be the lead in carrying out the NC3 mission once those personnel are in place.
“Our senior leaders in the Defense Department asked the Air Force, specifically AFGSC, with the help of the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, to take on a leadership role for the NC3 mission,” Russell F. Mathers, executive director of communications, said. “The Air Force owns over 75 percent of the NC3 systems and supports two of the three legs of the triad (all three major components of the nuclear enterprise). We’re excited to improve the capabilities we offer the president, and our nation. We’re dedicated to ensuring the safe, secure and effective nuclear deterrent mission.”
Standing up of the NC3 Mission also leads to the transfer of the E-4B Airborne Command Post, and the creation of the Headquarters United States Air Force NC3 Center at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.
“The AFGSC commander has requested approximately 104 civilians to be in place no later than Dec. 31, 2016,” Nathaniel Tennyson, human resource specialist, said. “The purpose of the event is to expedite hiring of a large percentage of the civilians for this mission to facilitate that in-place-date.”
Many of the personnel will work in the new HQ USAF NC3 Center with others working throughout various parts of the command.
The Air Force Personnel Center managed the event and filtered candidates through the process of submitting resumes and also arranged on-the-spot interviews. They also employed a mobile Recruitment Opportunity Activity System, a digital interface where applicants could register and apply before stepping into an interview just a few feet away.
“We have 226 military and civilian positions coming to stand up the center. One hundred sixty five of the 226 positions are civilian positions,” Mathers said. “This week at the hiring event we have been authorized by AFPC to fill 65 of the positions with special accelerated hiring authority granted to fill critical cyberspace related positions in the Defense Departments.”
The Secretary of the Air Force and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force directed the creation of the NC3 mission, which expands AFGSC’s role in the nuclear enterprise. This came about through the establishment of Program Action Directive 16-01. According to the document, Air Force and commander leadership expect the center to reach Initial Operational Capability in fiscal year 2019 and Full Operational Capability in fiscal year 2020-21.
Those who were not able to attend the event who are interested in applying for NC3 hiring positions, can apply through USAJobs, the primary hiring website for federal employment. Those jobs opened Sept. 26, 2016, and will remain open for up to 14 calendar days.