TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- With the largest rebuild in Air Force history well underway, the 325th Fighter Wing along with the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center are taking all necessary steps to ensure the nearly $5 billion project goes according to plan.
One of many critical steps taken in a construction project is a Rehearsal of Concept, often called a ROC drill. A ROC drill is something used in the military for pre-battle planning purposes to identify weaknesses and strengths. It is commonly used when different activities must take place in an orchestrated, well-timed manner, like the Tyndall rebuild.
“The ROC drill allows us to identify opportunities for mitigating risks during the extensive construction project,” said Judy Biddle, AFCEC Natural Disaster Recovery Division execution branch chief. “A rehearsal of concept takes into consideration six month timelines of the construction sequencing and how that will interact with the flying mission and everyone else’s mission. [This allows us] to see how we can mitigate interfering with one another.”
While the engineers behind the rebuild are experts in their respective fields, having outside perspectives from members who are directly affected by the ongoing construction and demolition of buildings is critical to ensuring the rebuild stays on track and within budget.
“We’re pretty well aware of all the concerns from the engineering point of view,” said 1st Lt. Nicholas Cap, AFCEC NDR innovation element chief. “We have stations set up to help capture all of the concerns and questions from all of the stakeholders, either military or civilian, so that we can go out and find answers in a timely manner and resolve issues before they come up during the construction process.”
In order to support the future F-35A Lightning II aircraft scheduled to call Tyndall home starting in September 2023, the operational support side of the base is undergoing a $604 million renovation where state of the art facilities will be erected to house the aircraft and Airmen that come with the F-35A mission.
“The end goal is to rebuild Tyndall and accommodate the mission and the F-35As that will be arriving,” said Col. Rob Bartlow, chief of the AFCEC NDR division. “We’re putting all of the infrastructure in place to ensure that mission has everything it needs to support the Air Force and project air power anywhere around the world. We have the chance to build a base that incorporates technologies we have not been able to use in other places. It’s an incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”