HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- Long before an Airman steps onto foreign soil, there is a 1st Special Operations Wing deployment team working to ensure mission success. They are the Unit Deployment Managers — the Air Force’s behind-the-scenes readiness experts.
UDMs are the force making sure every box is checked, every folder is current, and every Airman is ready when the call comes.
A UDM assigned to the 1st Special Operations Wing summarized the stakes: “We don’t know when our adversaries are going to choose to start something, but we are going to be ready when they do.”
From medical clearances, physical fitness tests and survival training to weapons certification, protective gear and packing lists, there are many items needed for an Airman to deploy.
“We’re the ones verifying: is their training done? Are they medically cleared? Are they equipped?” one UDM explained. “It all comes back to us to give the commander the green light.”
Readiness, however, is about more than checklists; it is about adapting to an ever-changing operational environment.
Under the Air Force Force Generation model, Airmen no longer deploy as ad hoc groups pulled from multiple bases, but as cohesive units to provide combatant commanders with ready forces on a predictable cycle.
This predictability relies on the constant preparation of UDMs, who must prepare entire force elements to meet the demands of emerging threats in an environment where speed and cohesion can determine success.
“When our forces are ready, they’re agile and capable,” one UDM said. “If we don’t keep them that way, we’re already behind our adversaries. Readiness is what keeps us a step ahead.”
Even with the predictability of the AFORGEN model, Airmen can be tasked for deployment at a moment’s notice. Many squadrons operate on alert cycles, so UDMs scrub requirements months in advance to keep those on call ready.
One UDM recalled an urgent tasking to send a 10-member group from Hurlburt overseas, noting that because of their preparation, the team was able to deploy without delay.
Despite the demands of maintaining readiness in a rapidly moving environment, UDMs do not step away from their primary career fields when they take on the role; they add it on top. In addition to their roles as air transportation specialists, maintainers, plumbers and more, the UDMs voluntarily shoulder the responsibility of deployment readiness.
As one UDM put it, “We’re wearing two or three different hats at once. It’s never just one job.”
That balancing act demands extraordinary effort, the UDMs explained. One UDM had just five days to prepare an Airman for deployment after another wing could not fill a tasking. It took countless calls, coordination across units and long nights, but the Airman was ready on time.
Another UDM built a Unit Type Code package, a requirement that usually takes six months, in just four by working 12-hour days.
“You may have to sacrifice yourself and your time to get the mission done,” a senior UDM tells new team members when they step into the role. “The mission doesn’t wait. If we fail to prepare, the whole unit fails.”
For UDMs, the reward isn’t recognition; it’s the success of the Airmen they serve beside.
“The people we support are the same ones we work with every day,” one UDM said. “We don’t want to fail them. We want to make sure they’re ready, safe and successful when they step out the door.”
Because of their dedication, the mission moves forward, and no Airman is left behind.