20 Years of Excellence: The U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center

by MAJ GEN RICK MARTIN
Commander, USAF Expeditionary Center

5/5/2014 - Summer 2014 -- I'm proud to announce that this October marks the 20th anniversary of the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center. To the men and women who've supported this mission and its legacy, working within it or alongside us--thank you. Your service and dedication have been the cornerstone of the Air Force's expeditionary enterprise ... from the ground up.

Then and Now

General George Patton once famously said, "A drop of sweat on the drill ground will save many drops of blood on the battlefield." Patton understood the importance of training and preparation. Our history has been an evolving narrative, written and shared by the mobility professionals. Originally, the Air Force had to rely on seven geographically separated training units teaching 25 separate courses to train and foster its future mobility experts.

This all changed when, on October 1, 1994, the Air Mobility Warfare Center (AMWC) opened its doors and began its first classes at Fort Dix, NJ. The excellent field training facilities, the large campus next to a major mobility hub, with the ability to accommodate future expansion, made Fort Dix the right venue at the right time. Culminating months of preparation and planning, the AMWC became the command's premier institution for training future air mobility leaders and experts in air mobility systems, providing "Global Reach for America."

In March of 2007, the AMWC was renamed the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center (EC), continuing its mission of leading the Air Force in expeditionary and mobility training. In this capacity, the EC became the Air Force's designated authority for developing, sustaining, and standardizing expeditionary combat support courses, exercises, and training for more than 16,000 Airmen each year.

Moreover, when the Air Force realized that its ground combat support training function needed a singular focus and permanent home, leadership quickly realized that the Expeditionary Center was the logical venue. If there was a ground function that supported air mobility operations, the EC led the training.

Four years later, in January 2011, the EC expanded its role by taking on administrative control responsibilities for installation support functions and unique mission sets across five installations. Finally, 2012 brought another expansion to the EC's mission, adding the Air Force's only contingency response wing and two air mobility operations wings in Europe and the Pacific to its ADCON responsibilities.

Today, the EC continues to evolve from a stand-alone Center of Excellence for expeditionary combat skills training and education to an organization with vastly greater responsibilities in support of the Air Force's expeditionary needs and Air Mobility Command's global mission. Twenty years ago, the AMWC was equipped with approximately 200 personnel, ultimately graduating 6,000 students annually. Now, the EC schools offer 77 in-residence courses and 23 web-based training courses, graduating more than 28,000 students annually. Each of our 14,000 Airmen throughout the six wings and two groups benefit from the world-class expeditionary support and teamwork across a wide array of missions.

Our Future Legacy

For 20 years, our Airmen have been part of a proud airpower heritage. Today I encourage each of you to reflect upon our remarkable legacy. We have a distinguished body of work in the history books. From mobility operations in Bosnia during the 1990s to the expeditionary combat support training conducted for successful operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, success began here.

"Air Power from the Ground Up" is not just a catch phrase--it is that synergy between air and ground combat operations that make us unique in all of DoD. The greatest specialists regarding mobility and expeditionary operations training reside here in the EC, and these operations have helped forge the success of our Air Force and military on every continent these past 20 years.

Our contributions have borne fruit: from the humanitarian relief we have helped provide to the victims of natural disasters to ground combat readiness and security. Because of you, and those who have gone before us, rapid global mobility remains a pillar of America's power projection and strength. I believe this heritage will continue to pave our way to an even more advanced mobility and expeditionary enterprise.

Each of you can take pride in calling yourselves "EC Eagles." Our people are the cornerstone of mission success and teamwork, and those missions have saved lives. All EC Eagles epitomize conviction in what they do--you are true believers in mobility and expeditionary combat support. For 20 years, you have represented the very best the Air Force and America have to offer. Thank you--for your patriotism, your unwavering service, and your commitment to excellence. Here's to 20 more. Lead on!