MEO, EEO to merge Jan. 1

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Clark Staehle
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  The 100th Air Refueling Wing's Equal Employment Opportunity and Military Equal Opportunity office functions will merge Jan. 1. 

The local initiative is part of a plan to unite the two throughout the Air Force, said Master Sgt. John Mills, 100th ARW military equal opportunity chief. 

"The two processes - EEO and MEO - will become one and it will be called equal opportunity," he said. 

The merger will provide better service for both EO and the people it serves. 

"The difference is I have a bigger pool to pull from as far as expertise," said Marlo Melton 100th Communications Squadron EEO program manager. "EEO and MEO are such small communities in Europe, that there are not a lot of people you can go to and get a second set of eyes to look at something or help you. So, that helps immensely." 

The new initiative will allow all Defense Department personnel - civilians or Airmen - to speak to anyone at the EO office. 

The merger is due to the Air Force's push to remove redundant processes by using programs like Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century. 

"It's an AFSO 21, Lean initiative," Sergeant Mills said. "They looked at the processes and realized they're so similar that if they merged them, they'd increase customer service. 

"Now a civilian or a blue-suiter will be able to walk into an EO office and not have to be referred to an MEO or EEO counselor - we'll have individuals who can handle any situation, and any type of complaint." 

Shortly after the merger's announcement in September, the director of the Air Force stressed that bringing the offices together won't result in a loss of quality. Bringing EEO and MEO together is a process that requires personnel with both offices to prepare. 

"Now, all of our people will get formal training to handle both types of cases," Kim Latherland, Air Force Equal Opportunity director said. "Customers shouldn't feel like their issues will be handled by someone who doesn't know what they're doing. Every EO professional is going through the training now, and everyone will be ready by January." 

For more information, contact the 100th ARW EEO/MEO office at DSN 238-2468.