Air Terminal Operations Center gets troops to, from fight

by Staff Sgt. Robert Barnett
376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

5/31/2013 - TRANSIT CENTER AT MANAS, Kyrgyzstan -- Transit Center at Manas has been an international strategic point for years. That importance is due to the mission of the Air Terminal Operations Center.

ATOC falls under the 376th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron aerial port. ATOC is responsible for constantly monitoring airlift missions and providing updates to the other sections in the aerial port. Load planning falls under ATOC; they plan the cargo for movement and gather data from the flight manifest to tell load masters about the load.

"Anything that comes to this port pretty much comes through us first," said Master Sgt. Dennis Smikle, 376th ELRS NCO in charge of ATOC.

ATOC gets notice when a flight is inbound to the Transit Center. They specifically note what's on the inbound aircraft and what that onward flight will take from the flight manifest when outbound. The load planning team performs the weight balance and inspects the load for a safe flight.

An ATOC representative goes out to the plane and helps the process go smoothly.

"Our main function at Manas is to maintain order within the aerial port," said Staff Sgt. Brett Bellemore, 376th ELRS ATOC information controller. "We make sure the other sections are following their required times, passengers get on the plane at the right time, and that the airplanes are airborne on time."

ATOC also assists with loading passengers on outbound flights, whether they are onward to their deployment destination, or returning home.

"This is a prime location," Bellemore said. "We're only about an hour and a half from Bagram Air Base, two and a half hours from Kandahar Air Field. So it's a very short flight for passengers. Instead of being on the C-17, which is an uncomfortable flight, for multiple hours at a time, it's just a quick flight. That way the aircrews are also able to do multiple trips in one day versus only being able to do one trip. If we weren't here, the passengers would have to fly into a different location."

On average, ATOC moves approximately 1,200 passengers a day. Bellemore believes the mission in Afghanistan relies on the troops at the Transit Center doing their jobs.

"Even though we're not down there in Afghanistan, we are responsible for ensuring the personnel get there when they're supposed to, and that they get home when they're supposed to," he said.

ATOC supports all U.S. forces whether it's Coast Guard, Navy, Army, Marines, Air Force, Active Duty, Guard or Reserve. They also support the majority of NATO personnel that go into and out of Afghanistan.

"That's why we serve -- to unite together for one cause," Smikle said.

Whether supporting U.S. or coalition forces, ATOC recognizes the impact of their mission.

"I enjoy our mission here at Manas," Bellemore said. "It's a daily reminder of what we're supporting downrange."