PACAF warms up for Operation DEEP FREEZE

Release Number: 140925

9/25/2014 - JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- The U.S. military will kick off the 2014-2015 season of Operation DEEP FREEZE, the Department of Defense's support of the U.S. Antarctic Program and the National Science Foundation, with operations commencing on Sept. 29, 2014.

This support is provided by the Joint Task Force-Support Forces Antarctica, led by Pacific Air Forces at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. JTF-SFA coordinates strategic inter-theater airlift, tactical deep field support, aeromedical evacuation support, search and rescue response.

Active duty, National Guard and Reserve personnel from the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard work together as part of JTF-SFA. This team proudly continues the tradition of U.S. military support to the USAP and demonstrates the United States' commitment to a stable Pacific region.

Airlift for Operation DEEP FREEZE involves active duty and Reserve C-17 Globemaster III support from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wa., LC-130 Hercules support from the New York Air National Guard, sealift support from the U.S. Coast Guard and Military Sealift Command, engineering and aviation services from U.S. Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, and cargo handling from the U.S. Navy.

Christchurch International Airport, New Zealand, is the staging point for deployments to McMurdo Station, Antarctica, a key research and operations facility for the USAP.

Operation DEEP FREEZE is unlike any other U.S. military operation. It is one of the military's most difficult peacetime missions due to the harsh Antarctic environment. The U.S. military is uniquely equipped and trained to operate in such an austere environment and has therefore provided support to the USAP since 1955.

For more information, contact the PACAF Public Affairs office at 808-448-3291.