Maintenance company set to deploy to Kuwait

by Air Force Staff Sgt. William Banton
JBER Public Affairs

2/13/2015 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- The 98th Maintenance Company, scheduled to deploy to Kuwait for maintenance support operations soon, honored its Soldiers in a deployment ceremony at Buckner Physical Fitness Center on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Feb. 6.

"This unit has been called by our nation to deploy, and I report they are trained and ready to answer that call," said Army Lt. Col. Kirk Boston, commander of the 532nd Engineer Battalion (Provisional), the company's parent battalion. "The past 60 days have been a blizzard of activity. This unit, on very short notice, has prepared for the mission in Kuwait."

The 98th MC has been preparing since October to deploy for nine months to a year providing maintenance in the Central Command area of operations.

"This time, it was a little different but we train [to deploy] regardless of a deployment," said Army Capt. Andrew Rainey, 98th MC commander.  "Normally we would be on a cycle. In the past, with more frequent deployments, we would come in and have at least a year to prepare."

Ground support equipment platoon leader Army 1st Lt. Kristen Bell, 98th MC, said she agreed and added the short time to prepare hasn't prevented them from maintaining readiness.

"We're making sure they are ready in that aspect and prepared for what's lying ahead, that we know of," Bell said. "We've done a lot of training - counter-improvised explosive device and cultural awareness; all kinds of different training courses to make sure everyone is ready and that there are no doubts."

Bell also said the company has many younger Soldiers who are skilled at their jobs supporting U.S. Army Alaska, and leadership is setting them up to succeed in a contingency environment.

"It's kind of hectic with our family life and trying to get everyone trained up and our gear packed up," said Army Staff Sgt. Ahmad Jimmerson, electronic maintenance platoon sergeant.  "This is my eighth deployment, so I'm kind of used to it, but for my younger guys this is very stressful; they don't know what to expect on short notice."

Bell said the Soldiers' families are supported by the unit's family readiness group during deployments.

"They maintain a full contact roster of everybody's spouses and next of kin, so if there was an emergency, or one of the spouses needs help around the house, we have people who can reach out and lend a hand," Bell said.

"This is my first time stationed overseas and the support system here is awesome," Jimmerson said. "In terms of family readiness, this is probably one of the best places I've ever been."

Friendship blossoms at Yokota planting ceremony

by 2d Lt. Ashley Wright
374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

2/12/2015 - YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- More than 100 years ago, the first of thousands of Japanese Cherry Blossom, or "Sakura," trees arrived in Washington D.C. -- an extension of friendship from the people of Japan to the people of the United States.

Echoing that historic gesture, community leaders from Fussa, Japan, donated two Cherry Blossom tree saplings that were planted during a ceremony here Feb. 12. The saplings were planted next to Yokota's Professional Development Center.

"It was truly an honor to celebrate this historic event alongside our Japanese community leaders," said Col. Douglas DeLaMater, 374th Airlift Wing commander. "We chose this planting location specifically to guarantee that arriving visitors and base personnel have access to these beautiful trees."

The history of the Cherry Blossom tree in the U.S. began in 1912 when 3,020 cherry blossom saplings of twelve different varieties were shipped aboard a Japanese vessel bound for Washington D.C. -- the S.S. Awa Maru. One of the saplings planted was a descendant of the original trees given to the U.S.

The cherry blossom trees, first planted along the Tidal Basin and East Potomac banks, have come to populate cities throughout the U.S.

Every year, Washington D.C. hosts the National Cherry Blossom Festival between the months of March and April. According to the U.S. National Park Service, "hundreds of thousands of city residents and visitors from across the nation and around the world come to witness the festival."

At Yokota, service members can get a first-hand look at the blossoms when they bloom in the spring from various locations throughout the base.

"The United States Air Force would not be successful here in Japan without the dedicated support of our Japanese brethren," DeLaMater said. "These trees will stand as a lasting symbol of friendship for decades to come."

Team Andersen trains Saipan firefighters on F-16 emergency response

by Senior Airman Cierra Presentado
36th Wing Public Affairs

2/13/2015 - ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- Members of Team Andersen recently flew to the nearby island of Saipan in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands Feb. 12, 2015, to familiarize and assist Saipan International Airport fire fighters on safety procedures and hazards when responding to emergencies involving F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft.

The Marianas region hosts several large-scale exercises on a regular basis as well as aviation training relocation events from bases in Japan where significant numbers of fighter aircraft train and operate in the airspace over CNMI islands and Guam. Awareness and training on procedures related to potential aircraft emergencies involving those platforms is crucial to ensure the safety of both aircrews and emergency responders, Andersen officials said.

"We're training the firefighters on how to effectively respond to situations involving the aircraft," said Stanley Torres, 36th Civil Engineer Squadron Andersen fire and emergency services chief of training. "Our guys from Andersen, as well as the maintenance crew for the F-16, worked with them and showed the different parts of the fighter [that are relevant to a potential emergency]."

The teams included members from the Andersen Fire Department, 36th Security Forces Squadron, 36th Wing Safety office, 36th CES's Emergency Management and Explosive Ordnance Disposal flights as well as F-16 pilots and maintainers deployed from the 35th Fighter Wing out of Misawa Air Base, Japan. Since the F-16 is one of the aircraft used in ATR events, this training was geared toward preparing Saipan first responders for a runway emergency involving the F-16.

During the training, Saipan firefighters were able to point out specific hazardous parts of the aircraft, such as the engine and where the weapons are housed. Andersen first responder Eric Masur went over how to safely rescue a pilot from an aircraft in the event the pilot cannot eject or egress.

"I basically explained how to get the pilot out safely from the cockpit. If the canopy doesn't lift, they will need to safely break the canopy," Masur said. "I believe the Saipan firefighters are confident and will perform successfully if there ever is an emergency."

After exchanging lessons learned and best practices, the Andersen delegation continued the lesson with a hands-on tour of an F-16 aircraft from Misawa.

"After today's training, I have gained so much knowledge on this aircraft, and I feel I am prepared to respond and perform in the event of an emergency," said Jesse Salas, Saipan firefighter. "We don't get this kind of training often, so I am truly thankful to the members of Andersen [who] came out to help us today."

Andersen officials are hoping to continue working alongside the Saipan firefighters in the future.

"The Saipan responders were a pleasure to work with, [and] with the training led by our military teams, I am confident they will be able to perform successfully," Torres said.

Blood and ink: JBER pararescueman finds solace from PTSD

by Airman 1st Class Kyle Johnson
JBER Public Affairs

2/13/2015 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- The aftermath of war is ugly. Buildings are ravaged, fields are razed, and people die. Structures are rebuilt and fields and forests are restored, but the survivors are marked indelibly.

Air Force Master Sgt. Roger Sparks sat on his couch, his two sons leaning against him as they watched "Forrest Gump" together.

When the firefight scene in Vietnam flickered on, Sparks' subconscious took over.

"I was suddenly overwhelmed with grief," he said. "I went out into the garage to get a hold of myself. That's when I knew I had a problem."

According to the National Center for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, between 11 and 20 percent of military members who have been a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom have experienced, or continue to experience, some form of PTSD.

Sparks, a pararescueman assigned to the Alaska Air National Guard's 212th Rescue Squadron, became aware he had PTSD after a particularly intense combat scenario wherein he earned a Silver Star for valor.

The cost
"I really think the cost of combat is grief," Sparks said. "Grief is cumulative; the more we are exposed to mortal situations, the more it builds up.

"Some guys can go their whole career without meeting their threshold," he said. "Some guys can do one deployment and get a whole bellyful.

"I've knowingly killed people face-to-face," said the former Force Reconnaissance Marine. "I've had buddies who were with me killed, and haven't had trouble with emotional trauma before.

"As you grow older, you change. Your sense of mortality changes."

The feeling of youthful invincibility fades, he said; resolve and beliefs change.

"We've been doing [combat] for so long, we've just normalized it," Sparks said. "I come back from combat where a guy died in my arms just days ago, gripping at me, clawing at me and bleeding all over me, to sit next to a lady who's ticked off because I'm on her armrest."

In the past, there was an extended boat voyage between home and war, but now combat is only a short plane ride away.

Sparks said this makes it difficult for service members to mentally separate the carnage of combat from the happiness of home.

He believes in World War II, the journey helped service members separate combat from normal life in their minds, but now it has become a part of "normal" life.

If you never truly leave home, then you can never really come home, he said.

"I think there's a cost to that, and each one of these guys feels it," Sparks said.

"With as long as we've been in Iraq and Afghanistan, there are young infantrymen who have made a complete career out of warfare," Sparks said. "We've given our entire adult life to combat. These are the kind of men I rub shoulders with."

Clinical assistance
"These service members have survived a battle with one of the greatest enemies we face," said Air Force Capt. Chad Killpack, a clinical psychologist with the 673d Medical Operations Squadron.

Killpack said the variety of evidence-based programs available at the mental health clinic can, with early intervention, have very positive results in battling PTSD.

Sparks used one such approach, called cognitive behavioral therapy, for more than a year and was later sent to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, where he was cleared to return to operational duty after consideration of his extensive personal efforts toward recovery.

During this time, Sparks was also encouraged to get in touch with Annie Okerlin, a Tampa, Florida yoga instructor who provides a mind-body approach to alleviating PTSD through therapeutic yoga.

Okerlin began sending materials and advice to Sparks. The pararescueman said he found her program incredibly healing, and still uses the relaxation techniques.

Art
Cleared for duty and having finished the bulk of the clinical treatment, Sparks continued to pursue a healthier mentality - and found it in an unexpected place.

On the forward operating base, just minutes after the life-changing 2010 battle which earned him a Silver Star, Sparks said three men approached him.

One was a cameraman, another a filmmaker, and the third was Scott Campbell, a well-known tattoo artist from New York City.

They were interested in making a documentary showing the effects tattooing can have on combat-exposed service members.

Sparks, exhausted and shaken from the most intense firefight of his life, nearly dismissed them.
Campbell looked at him and recognized what Sparks had just been through.

"Let's leave, this is wrong," Sparks recalled Campbell saying.

That's when Sparks, looking to kill time, agreed to their proposal.

"They stayed with us for three days, tattooing us," Sparks said. "That distracted us, because we knew we were about to go right back (into the fight)."

Sparks described the experience as profoundly healing.

Since then, he has continued tattooing as a way of expressing himself in ways he otherwise would not be able.

"I really think PTSD is the lack of desire to, or inability to express your grief to others." Sparks said. "With tattoos, it's like a hidden language. I can express that grief in a very tangible way."

Sparks designed a Cheshire Cat tattoo that he and his fellow pararescuemen have adopted as a kind of mascot.

"The Cheshire Cat is elusive, appearing and disappearing at will," Sparks said. "He always appears in a time of need and disappears, only leaving his smile."

Many of the men in the 212th  RQS wear the tattoo as a somber mark of pride, a sobering reminder of the gravity of their job. Like the effects of war, the mark may fade - but never be erased.

Literature
"I really enjoy reading literature; it's been a very cathartic thing for me to read old war literature and realize all these feelings I have are just a human experience," Sparks explained. "It's just a human reaction to these things we are exposed to.

"Nobody is special because they've experienced this; we're just human beings trying to react to the things we've been forced to deal with."

Sparks explained he is particularly interested in the Hagakure, a compilation of discussions on maintaining a military mindset in peacetime, written for samurai in the 18th century.

"A big problem with PTSD is you feel isolated," Sparks said. "You don't think people will understand how you feel because of the things you've experienced.

"It's a very healing experience to know there were people feeling the same things we experience now, in the 18th century."

Writing free-verse poetry also provides an outlet for the emotional struggles he experiences.

"It doesn't matter how many pushups you can do," Sparks said. "When it comes to combat grief; you can be this physical specimen, but if you aren't equipped to handle things emotionally, that's where you will eventually break."

Much has been written about dealing with the stressors of war; finding the right way is an intensely personal process, Sparks and his compatriots said.

"We're exposed to so many different stressful situations that you develop your own way of dealing with it," said Theodore "Ted" Sierocinski, also a pararescueman assigned to the 212th RQS.

The marks of battle may or may not fade with time, but the smile of the Cheshire Cat remains.

New de-icing fluid keeps AWACS jets fit to fly

by Air Force 2nd Lt. Michael Trent Harrington
JBER Public Affairs

2/13/2015 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Like a certain beloved percentage of Americans who buy their Thanksgiving turkeys three hours before dinner is supposed to begin, the pilots and maintenance crews of the 962d Airborne Air Control Squadron proved last month that sometimes one's got to go to great lengths to thaw a bird in a hurry.

The introduction of a new de-icing fluid - and 18 months of what 962d superintendent Chief Master Sgt. Dwayne Ward calls the best operations-and-maintenance relationship in the Air Force - allows the 3rd Wing's pair of E-3 Sentries to answer the alert call
no matter how frigid and frozen the otherwise-friendly skies might be.  

"If anybody in the E-3 community is going to be able [to] or have to do this," said Air Force Lt. Col. Eric Gonzalez, 962nd AACS commander, "it's going to be the Alaska guys. It's going to be us."

The 52 days of snowfall, 128 days of cold rain and nearly 100 days of chilly fog which Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson has averaged for the last decade (per 14th Weather Squadron statistics) all suggest he's right.

The 962d AACS bears a key burden in the Alaskan NORAD alert mission.

The E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System doesn't quite "scramble" to meet stray Cessna Skywagons from Merrill Field or Russian Bears from Moscow - such pedestrianly tactical jobs are reserved for planes named after patriotic birds of prey - but according to NORAD factsheets, it is critical in telling the afterburning jets that do the scrambling what all might be out there.

"We have a legacy aircraft," said Air Force Master Sgt. Fred Armand, 962d AACS flight engineer, using the officially polite term
for less-than-sleek and less-than-new aircraft. "We hold an alert requirement in potentially six-plus months a year of bad weather."

"We need to be able to prove we can launch a safe flight," Armand added, "whenever higher headquarters might want it."

Before any flight below certain wind and weather thresholds, maintenance crews have to both de-ice the plane to remove ice and snow that have built up overnight, or in a few blizzardy minutes since the plane moved outside to run its engines.

Lest all that work be instantly undone, the plane must be covered with an anti-icing agent in the crucial few minutes between
de-icing and take-off, said Air Force Staff Sgt. Colby Lehman, a 703d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron computer and electronic warfare technician.

The rules allow only two minutes between de-icing and anti-icing, and a limited amount of time to get off the ground from there, Lehman said.
If the crews break either of those windows, the entire process has to be started all over again, and the E-3 won't be able to keep up with the rapid timeline for responding to an alert.

Elsewhere, they can just shut it down and call it a day.

Here, the AWACS may not have that option - because with this kind of mission, even in this kind of environment, that can't happen, Gonzalez added.

Now the squadron's work will be turning the proven concept into a capability they can build upon and teach the world.

"We're the experts," Armand said. "We're the northernmost E-3 base, and this is how we prove we can get the job done."

"We're setting the tone for dealing with inclement weather, at home or deployed," he noted and, Gonzalez added, it's likely the first time it's ever been done.

For the men and women of 962d AACS operations and maintenance, the biggest thing for now is knowing that they can do it and - in the future - do it better, said Air Force Lt. Col. Steve Eschmann, 962d AACS assistant director of operations.

The key ally to readying a 38-year old airborne early warning and control airframe is a truck with a sunroof-and-windshield-wiper combo and a boom operator suspended some 50 feet in the air.

The boom sports a set of triggers shooting air, de-icing and anti-icing fluids along the plane's 152-foot length.

Few in the squadron admit they thought saving the world could come down to unit togetherness and the sweet, juicy goodness of $11-a-gallon de-icing fluid.

"Now, for higher headquarters [Alaskan NORAD] missions in the future," Eschmann added, no matter how foul the weather gets, "we know we've done it and we know it can be done."

The iceman cometh, and the AWACS will go anyway.

Royal Canadian, U.S. air forces create integrated top cover

by JBER Public Affairs
Staff report

2/13/2015 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- During the Cold War, the Soviet threat lay not far to the west of Alaska. The state's nearest neighbor shared more than 1,500 miles of border and the mission to protect North America.

They still do.

Several members of the Royal Canadian Air Force are assigned to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson's 962nd Airborne Air Control Squadron, where they help maintain top cover for both countries.

The Canadian air battle managers with the 962nd AACS are certified at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma on all operational requirements before being assigned to JBER, and are not considered exchange or visiting positions.

"We fill any role we are asked to, and we [deploy] in support of the taskings the squadron receives," said RCAF Maj. Craig Derenzis, a 962nd AACS mission crew commander and aerospace controller. "There is no secondary input. There is no Canadian oversight that is going to tell us what to do. We are squadron members first, and that is understood by the entire structure here at the 962nd; it is a unique thing because you don't often see that.
"We've found that level of integration has become part of the squadron's culture," he said.

As a mission crew commander, Derenzis is responsible for the execution of the E-3's assigned mission as well as command of the multi-faceted mission crew who operate the aircraft's hardware.

The E-3 Sentry is an airborne warning and control system - providing awareness of friendly and hostile activity, command of an area of responsibility, all-weather surveillance, and early warning of enemy actions during operations.

"There are a lot of moving pieces, and it's the MCC's role to ensure a coordinated effort toward mission accomplishment," Derenzis said.

Unlike a fairly straightforward cargo plane, there are two overarching aspects of any E-3 flight - the flying and the surveillance.

"It's definitely a crew-composed aircraft," said Senior Airman Scott Ellis, a 962nd communication technician. "You've got your flight deck; they are driving us to where we need to be. You've got your techs, which is my job ... we make sure all the equipment is working. Then you've got your mission crew, and Derenzis is the big boss-man for that side of the house.

"Everyone has their own role on the jet, and the MCC is taking all that information in and is making bigger decisions," Ellis said.

The Canadian and U.S. air forces work so closely in air defense because of NORAD commitments, Derenzis said; U.S. Airmen are also stationed at Canadian installations.

The co-manning arrangement ensures a seamless flow in contingency operations.

"We're collectively better at defending North American airspace by integrating and working cooperatively, " he said.

Derenzis said it was the opportunity to work with allies and be involved in international operations that attracted him to becoming an ABM, and that desire paid off when he had an opportunity to support the NATO flying mission on board an E-3 stationed out of Germany.

"There were 17 nations involved in that mission when I was there," Derenzis said. "You can imagine between those 17 nationalities, mostly European, you're going to have different expectations and a different paradigm brought to the table."

Derenzis said his exposure to U.S. Air Force operations has given him an increased appreciation for the subtle differences between actually working on a U.S. aircraft and the secondary interaction he had overseas.

"There is a fantastic opportunity to work with one another very frequently, and that doesn't [often] happen," Derenzis said. "In the NATO context, it happens to a degree, but even there you are looking at the complications from several different cultures that are dissimilar."

The cultural similarities between Canada and its southern neighbor mean that integration is less taxing, while still providing a new outlook, Derenzis said.
"Coming here, you see a different approach to operation and a different approach to regulations," he said. "It is fantastic to have that; you can kind of take the best approaches from the different services you work with and attempt to incorporate them into your own."

The appreciation goes both ways.

"What they bring to the fight each and every day is awesome," said Chief Master Sgt. Dwayne Ward, 962nd AACS chief enlisted manager. "They bring a fresh perspective.

"I think the mission, working side-by-side, is much easier than, say, working with an Italian, a Turk, [or the Dutch]," Ward said.

"We are both from the western hemisphere [and] we have a common interest, in that we both want to protect our air sovereignty."

Care Coalition Supports Wounded, Ill Special Ops Troops

By Jim Garamone

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2015 – It’s an ethos burned into the minds of generations of American service members to “leave no one behind.”

This ethos has grown in response to America’s wars since 9/11, with coalitions devoted to the treatment and care of wounded, ill or wounded service members and their families.

U.S. Special Operations Command and the services are looking at innovative ways to ensure service members get the care they need and deserve. All are working to ensure there are no gaps in care or assistance for these service members.

Congress gave U.S. Special Operations Command the authority to provide a wounded warrior care program for its 69,000 personnel, said Army Col. Cary Harbaugh, the director of the command’s Care Coalition Wounded Warrior Program.

No Small Job

This is not a small job, Harbaugh said. There are more than 5,100 special operators enrolled in the program. Officials also track more than 2,400 special operations veterans, and assist more than 400 families.

Most special operators have deployed multiple times, the colonel said. They are “at the tip of the spear,” he said, and even when not deployed to combat areas, they often work in underdeveloped or undeveloped areas. Their training is tough and realistic.

All this takes a toll, Harbaugh said. Most special operators in the program are combat wounded, he said, but others are ill from disease contracted during deployments. Still others, he added, are in the program because they were injured -- either from training accidents or the accumulated tolls on their bodies.

The Socom coalition looks to get special operators back to their teams quickly, or if that is not possible, to transition to other jobs in the military or to veteran’s status.

Began in 2005

The Care Coalition began in 2005 to fill in the gaps in care for special operators, Harbaugh said. The coalition, he said, is more focused on retention and preserving service members in the force even after they’ve had a wound, illness or injury.

As the number of wounded, ill or injured special operators grew, the program grew, he said.

“It’s all about advocacy,” the colonel said.

“You don’t know how to navigate the medical system until you have to do it,” said Army Sgt. Maj. Kelly Ammerman, the Care Coalition senior enlisted advisor.

Like the community it serves, the Care Coalition is small, quick and agile. The organization has a total of 90 people with most serving with the forces where they are needed, said Lt. Col. Theresa Lewis, an Army nurse in charge of the program’s Recovery Care Center.

Immediate Situation

Coalition liaison officers handle the immediate situation. “They are at the bedside while the service member is in the hospital,” Lewis said. “They also deal with the immediate issues with the family throughout the process.”

Advocates -- also called recovery care coordinators -- are more long-term. Advocates help with appointments, financial issues and family issues, whether the service member is returning to duty or transitioning to veteran’s status, she said.

Liaisons and advocates are with the force, wherever there are special operations forces -- at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Dam Neck, Virginia, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, and at other installations. They work at positions at military treatment facilities like Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and at San Antonio Military Medical Center in Texas.

The coalition is involved throughout. For those wounded, there is a coalition representative in Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, who makes the initial assessment and works in-country with medical teams. The representative notifies the coalition liaison at Landstuhl Medical Center in Germany as the special operator is medevaced.

If the patient is moved stateside, liaison officers and advocates are part of the process at every step of the way.

The Process

Liaison officers and advocates at the installations are part of the process for those ill or injured, Harbaugh said. “There is always someone involved with the special operator,” he added.

The advocates and liaison officers are senior people who’ve served in special operations on an average of 26 years.

“They know how to find the ‘yes’ answer,” Ammerman said. “They are bureaucratic wall-busters.”

The advocates and liaison officers are people that special operators will talk to about their problems. “Our community is relatively close-mouthed,” the sergeant major explained. “They are only going to deal with somebody they feel comfortable with -- a vetted source.”

Special operators want to stay on the team, Ammerman said. They don’t want to be away from their friends, he added, and they want to do their share of the labor.

“They are going to do all they can -- including ignoring injuries -- to deploy and continue to be operational, because that’s why they signed up,” he said.

But at some point there comes a time when they realize they cannot deploy, and they need someone they trust to talk with, Ammerman said. “Our advocates are people who have been there before,” he said.

More needs to be done, Harbaugh said, but the work is advancing. The Care Coalition works to assist those operators who don’t remain in service, supporting the transition to civilian life and to veteran status. The Care Coalition works closely with Veterans Affairs to ensure seamless transition, he said.

“This is a work in progress,” Harbaugh said.

African Partnership Flight builds relations, interoperability

by Tech. Sgt. Ian Dean
CJTF-HOA Public Affairs Office

2/13/2015 - DJIBOUTI -- Closing ceremonies commenced African Partnership Flight-Djibouti for more than 80 Airmen from six nations at Djibouti Air Base, Feb. 11, 2015.

The five-day event, cohosted by U.S. Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa and the Djibouti air force, brought together air forces from Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and the United States to strengthen relationships and share best practices.

"APF-Djibouti brings international Airmen together to discuss how we do business," said Brig. Gen. Mark Camerer, USAFE-AFAFRICA director of plans, programs and analyses, during closing ceremonies.  "It allows them to talk about their techniques, their tactics and their procedures so that if a crisis were to hit, we have the capability to work together more effectively and efficiently."

African Partnership Flight is U.S. Africa Command's premiere program to bring together partner nations to increase cooperation and interoperability, which fosters stability and security throughout the continent.

"African Partnership Flight is all about interoperability," said Senior Master Sgt. Phillip Leonard, USAFE-AFAFRICA loadmaster.  "Whether it is a humanitarian or peacekeeping mission, it is important for our air forces to have understanding and transparency beforehand, so when the time comes we can execute the mission."

U.S. Air Force advisors from USAFE-AFAFRICA and the 818th Mobility Support Advisory Squadron, based at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., facilitated a combination of group discussions and hands-on demonstrations covering core air force topics including cargo load planning, flight line security, crash and fire rescue and aircraft maintenance.

As much as AFP-Djibouti was about sharing professional air force knowledge, it also provided a unique opportunity for partner nations to interact and build relationships.

"Africa Partnership Flight improves our understanding of each other's cultures," Leonard stated. "During this five-day event, our air forces have gained a better understanding of not only our operating procedures and aircraft, but also of our cultural backgrounds. We find even outside of the classroom we get a lot of social interaction and a chance to understand each other's cultures."

In addition to the cultural experiences providing a unique opportunity the groups are comprised of members from both officer and enlisted forces. This mixed-rank forum allowed for different perspectives to be shared.

"We had people from O-5 to E-5, so we get information from both and operational and tactical level," said Kenya air force Lt. Musoma Lusiola.  "That way, the lieutenant colonel understands how the sergeant feels when leading the soldiers in the field. The sergeant can understand better how the lieutenant colonel will be able to help him. The interactions between different countries, with different experiences and different ranks cannot be overemphasized. "

Building these types of relationships is critical for the future of East Africa. With an ever-changing regional environment, it is imperative that partner nations are prepared for any challenges they may face.

"Our world is getting bigger, not smaller," Camerer noted. "And so, by expanding these relationships I think we have taken a unique approach to strengthen security in the region."

Hagel Bids Farewell to Defense Department Workforce

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2015 –  As he prepares to leave office, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel today said farewell to the military and civilian men and women of the Defense Department’s workforce in a statement, noting it’s been “a tremendous privilege” to serve as the nation’s top defense official. Here is Hagel’s statement:

"To the men and women of the Department of Defense:

"When I joined the United States Army 48 years ago, I could not have imagined one day serving as secretary of defense.  It has been a tremendous privilege to serve with you.

"As I leave office, I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished together over the past two years.

"We have responsibly ended our combat operations in Afghanistan and begun the follow-on mission to preserve our achievements there.

"We have bolstered enduring alliances and strengthened emerging partnerships, while successfully responding to crises around the world.

"We have launched vital reforms that will prepare this institution for the challenges of the future.

"We have fought hard - and made real progress - against the scourge of sexual assault in our ranks.

"And after 13 years of war, we have worked to restore our military readiness and ease the burdens on our people and their families.

"Through it all, many of you, and your families, coped with shutdowns and furloughs; weathered hiring and pay freezes; and endured long hours and longer deployments.  You did so because we each took an oath to defend our nation, our fellow citizens, and our way of life.  And you have lived up to your word.

"But as you know well, the world is still too dangerous, and threats too numerous.  I know you will remain vigilant, continuing your important work under the leadership of Ash Carter.

"A special note to our men and women in uniform: of all the many opportunities my life has given me, I am most proud of having once been a soldier.  The lessons from my time in uniform about trust, responsibility, duty, judgment, and loyalty - I have carried these with me throughout my life. As your secretary of defense, I have seen those same traits in each of you.

"Whether you serve in uniform or as a civilian, you are the reason why our military is the finest in the world and the most admired and most trusted institution in America.  Nothing has clarified my thinking, nothing has renewed my hope, and nothing has made me prouder than getting to know, work, and serve with so many of you who have put the nation's interest above your own.

"If I had any parting guidance, it would be the same reminder that my drill sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class William Joyce, gave to me after I finished basic training in 1967:  'People depend on you.  They'll always depend on you.'

"That was true for me then, and it is true for all of you today.  People depend on you - America depends on you - to live up to your oath, to conduct yourselves in keeping with our highest standards, and to perform as the greatest military the world has ever known.  After two years serving with you, I am confident you will continue to do so.

"You and your families have my deepest gratitude and admiration.

"Thank you for your unflagging service and your commitment to this country.  May God bless America and each and every one of you."

Yesterday, Ash Carter, a former deputy defense secretary, received a 93-5 affirmative vote by the U.S. Senate to succeed Hagel as defense secretary. Hagel was sworn in as the 24th Secretary of Defense on Feb. 27, 2013.

Carter will not assume his official duties until he takes the oath of office, a ceremony expected to occur in the next several days. Until that time, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Adm. John Kirby said during a recent press briefing, Chuck Hagel “will continue to carry out the full responsibilities of his office and he will do so right up until the time his successor is confirmed and installed.”