Photo By London Prince | Meet Austin Naranjo, division program manager for the National Environmental Policy...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas – It’s Mission Monday! Meet Austin Naranjo, a program manager in the National Environmental Policy Act Division at the Air Force Civil Engineer Center’s Installations Directorate. Naranjo and his team work with Department of the Air Force installations and other organizations to assess potential environmental impact of construction and other mission activities. The division ensures compliance with all NEPA technical and legal requirements, including adherence to regulatory and policy requirements to meet mission beddown timelines.
“I know what I do makes a difference for the men and women in uniform, and it helps enable our mission,” he said.
We asked Naranjo, a San Antonio, Texas, native to tell us more about himself and the work he does for the Department the Air Force.
Briefly tell us why you joined the Air Force or, if a civilian employee, civil service?
Civil service is a family career for me. Both of my grandfathers and my father worked for the Federal Aviation Administration, and my grandmother served at the Corpus Christi Army Depot. I am grateful to be a part of an organization and work alongside the men and women who serve, as well as those who have served, our nation.
What do you love about your job?
The fast pace and the collaborative game planning with other organizations, both internal and external to the DAF, to devise strategies for overcoming challenges in the NEPA process. There really are no two projects that are exactly alike with NEPA. I enjoy tackling the evolving challenges and learning from the various solutions we develop to keep the NEPA process moving to enable and not compromise the proposed mission.
When it comes to your job, what keeps you motivated?
The importance of completing NEPA properly so we don’t compromise the mission and maintain our superiority over adversaries, while also enabling our Airmen to train and test, is a huge motivator for me. Also, because the NEPA process must be completed before any major Federal action, what I do is crucial to enabling new missions or making changes to current ones.
Why are you and your team important to the Air Force/Space Force enterprise/your customers?
NEPA is so unique, because it brings together a lot of organizations within the DAF, as well as sister Federal agencies and State agencies which forces us to work together to ensure the mission is not compromised. Through this synergy, NEPA is a great planning tool that enables other DAF organizations to accomplish their objectives and brings them to the table to discuss the needs of the proponent and the mission. We can’t beddown new aircraft, construct support facilities or acquire new land without completing NEPA. Our work enables our customers to plan and set out what they need to do to accomplish their specific missions, ultimately allowing the DAF to advance with new mission sets that help us maintain superiority over our adversaries.
Describe a project/event you and your team worked on recently that gave you a great sense of accomplishment:
We have been assisting with the Eglin Military Training Route Instrument Route Environmental Assessment. We are part of an interdisciplinary team that includes members from Air Force headquarters, Air Force Material Command, the 96th Test Wing and the FAA. Together we faced numerous challenges that threatened to compromise the mission, but we worked ferociously, putting in many hours, to get the NEPA documents and analyses back on track. Our collective efforts were driven by the goal of meeting the mission need date for testing weapons systems in the proposed Military Training Route.
How does what you do support AFIMSC’s strategic priorities? (increase lethality and readiness, strengthen Airmen, Guardians and families, pursue organizational excellence and amplify warfighter culture)
As a NEPA program manager, I help our proponents with procurement and execution of new mission sets, ensuring all NEPA regulatory requirements are met before any major action. As a Federal Agency, we are required to complete NEPA prior to enacting any new proposal. In my role, I ensure that projects meet regulatory requirements and are completed on time to ensure we do everything in our power to meet the mission need date.
Complete this sentence … I power the world’s greatest Air Force by …
Enabling the mission and upholding our nation’s regulatory requirements.
What do you like to do outside of work (hobbies, family time, special talent, etc.?
I enjoy spending time with my wife and our two dogs, traveling to new places, golfing and tending to my very modest automotive collection of four vehicles.
Is there anything else you’d like to add which might help people understand the importance of what you do for the Department of the Air Force?
Completing NEPA efficiently and correctly is vital to the DAF mission. This seemingly small regulatory requirement is pivotal as it can make or break a mission. Our work ensures the assessment is completed in the most efficient manner. Full compliance allows us to construct, acquire, beddown aircraft, or test new weapons systems. Failure to adhere to NEPA regulations can compromise the mission and expose the DAF to potential litigation. At the AFCEC NEPA Division, our team strives to manage high-visibility NEPA efforts with the utmost focus on relevant regulations, procedures and policies in the most efficient manner to meet mission need dates every day we come to work. It’s exciting to be a part of a team with such a direct link to every new mission that the DAF proposes.
| Date Taken: | 09.16.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.18.2024 17:22 |
| Story ID: | 480995 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 11 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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