USS Donald Cook Welcomes President of Romania

From U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs

CONSTANTA, Romania (NNS) -- The forward deployed guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) welcomed aboard Romanian President Traian Bsescu while the ship was in port in Constanta, April 14.

Bsescu was met by members of the U.S. Embassy and Donald Cook's Commanding Officer Cmdr. Scott Jones. He was then given a tour of the ship, including the Navigation Bridge, Combat Information Center and Engineering Control.

"Operating in the Black Sea has been an incredible opportunity for us to further strengthen our ties and improve our interoperability with an important strategic partner, Romania, who just recently celebrated their 10th anniversary as a member of NATO," said Jones. "We feel that this is an important time to demonstrate our resolve and shared commitment with NATO; that we will maintain the right presence where it matters to promote peace and stability."

Donald Cook's visit to Romania is an example of the U.S. Navy's commitment to strengthen ties while working toward mutual goals in the Black Sea. This multi-mission destroyer is there to reassure our NATO allies that we share a commitment to promote peace and stability in the region.

"We have also been privileged to host several members of the Romanian Navy during our time in the Black Sea," added Jones. "This professional exchange has been valuable for my crew, allowing us a chance to discuss future exercise opportunities, and helping to reinforce, on a personal level, the strong ties between our two navies and our two nations."

Donald Cook, the first of four Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to be forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, is serving on a scheduled patrol in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations as part of the President's European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) to ballistic missile defense in Europe.

U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts a full range of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation missions in concert with coalition, joint, interagency, and other parties in order to advance security and stability in Europe and Africa.

From enlisted to officer: Coming full circle in 12 years

by Senior Airman Katrina Heikkinen
341st Missile Wing Public Affairs

4/11/2014 - MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- Editor's note: This is part one of a series highlighting Airmen transitioning to the officer corps

"I missed it from the day I separated," she said.

Raised in Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., it was only a matter of time before she accepted that Air Force blue was destined to run deep in her veins.

"I tried to rebel from what my father did but I realized my blood was just too blue."

Today, nestled in the Malmstrom Air Force Base Mental Health Office, 1st Lt. Morgan McNabb, 341st Medical Operations Squadron social worker, can be found in counseling sessions with active-duty Airmen. New to the office, McNabb has been at Malmstrom for nearly two months. This is her first duty station as an officer in the U.S. Air Force, but it isn't her first time serving her country as an Airman.

"I was 19 years old when I enlisted in the Air Force back in 2001," McNabb said. "I was a laboratory technician then. I completed four years and then I was out - with the intent that I was going to enlist, get some experience and go back to school to commission in as an officer."

More than 12 years later - between earning two master's degrees, getting married, becoming a dependent and becoming a Department of Defense civilian - McNabb's calling to serve her country has come full circle.

"I think everyone's path in life is exactly the way it's supposed to be," she said. "For me, it was kind of curvy because I went to school longer than most people. But I think the route I took helped me get here and I would do everything exactly the same. I learned a lot about myself along the way; about what assets I have to bring to the Air Force. I've been there - as a civilian, a spouse and enlisted member - so I can combine all of those experiences."

After completing her original four-year enlistment in the Air Force, McNabb separated with her Community College of the Air Force Degree - assumingly a successful accomplishment to enter the civilian workforce with.

"As soon as I got out, I had a hard time finding a job, which was surprising because I thought the Air Force put so much time teaching and training me as a laboratory technician that I could easily get a job," she said. "Eventually I was lucky enough to get a job in California. But I was shocked at how much I missed the Air Force. I had a hard time with the lack of structure when I started working in the civilian sector."

From 2005 to 2012 the uphill battle began for McNabb to once again wear the Air Force uniform.

"I knew I wanted to be back in uniform, I just didn't know what capacity," she said. "Originally I was going to go the doctor route. But I figured out that wasn't appropriate for me - I liked working with people on a continuing basis. After I completed an undergrad in psychology, I finished a master's in psychology with an emphasis on counseling. I planned to get a doctorate in psychology and come back in the Air Force - but then I met my husband who's an active-duty Airman."

McNabb then followed her husband to Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany, and earned a spot in the mental health office as a general schedule civilian. With the support of a friend and mentor, it was then that McNabb's journey to become an officer was finally tangible.

"My friend, Major Erica Best, asked me what I wanted to do with my psychology degree and she mentioned social work," she said. "I had no idea what a social worker did in the Air Force. Then I had the opportunity to talk to her about her job and got to meet other social workers and see what they were doing. I think that was very important for me because I think many careers can be different in the civilian world than in the military.

"I realized [being a social worker] was what I wanted to do," she said. "So in 2011, I applied for the Health Professions Scholarship Program. Even though I had a master's degree in psychology with counseling emphasis, I needed a separate master's degree in social work in order to be an Air Force social worker. While I was finishing up my last semester of my first master's, I was applying to go back to school to earn a second master's."

McNabb said the only thing she would have done differently is pursue commissioning as a junior enlisted Airman and completing the right master's degree.

"I really took advantage of the resources that were out there and put it to good use, such as maxing out the Montgomery GI Bill and applying for grants," she said. "But I wish that I would have made more of an effort to talk to people who were already in those career fields in the Air Force. When I was thinking I wanted to be a doctor, I wish I had spent time with doctors and had the chance to job shadow and get their perspective. Sometimes I think we have an idea of what we think we want, when it may really be completely different."

McNabb says she appreciates her enlisted corps roots for all the lessons she learned.

"It's very different to be an officer," she said. "The mindset to approach things is different because I am here to help improve and listen to the opinions and feedback from the enlisted corps. Being enlisted before has helped me to never forget the attributes they have and remember that I was in their shoes."

For those interested in pursuing the officer route as enlisted Airmen, McNabb suggests seeking out those who made the transition themselves and learning more about the process.

"If becoming an officer is something anyone is interested in even a little, I would suggest at least looking into it," she said. "I don't believe in never opening a door that could lead to something different for you."

DOD Official Visits Personnel Accounting Command Facilities

By Navy Cmdr. Amy Derrick-Frost

Department of Defense

WASHINGTON, April 15, 2014 – A senior Defense Department official visited two DOD personnel accounting facilities last week as part of the ongoing dialogue about the department’s recently announced personnel accounting enterprise reorganization.

During his April 9-11 trip, Michael D. Lumpkin, acting undersecretary of defense for policy, spoke with Joint Prisoner of War and Missing in Action Accounting Command staff members during a town hall meeting, and he fielded questions about the reorganization.

Lumpkin highlighted the importance of the personnel accounting mission to the department, and how in its more than 40-year history, everyone involved in the recovery and identification of unaccounted-for Americans lost in conflicts remains steadfast and committed.

“I want to begin by expressing my utmost gratitude to each and everyone here today for your professionalism and dedicated service to our fallen comrades and their families,” Lumpkin said. “The time has come for a paradigm shift within our personnel accounting enterprise.

“We need to break down institutional barriers,” he continued. “By working as a team, we will develop the department’s new personnel accounting agency that embraces progressive science, streamlines the processes and practices and increases transparency -- getting families the answers to the questions they have and providing them the information they deserve.” He stressed that the personnel accounting mission is a top priority for Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

The reorganization calls for merging JPAC, the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, the JPAC satellite laboratory in Nebraska and the Life Science Equipment Laboratory in Ohio. By pulling the organizations together, Lumpkin said, he hopes to “rebrand, refocus and re-emphasize” the mission.

“We are still in the early stages of developing how we are going to do this,” he said, “but know you have a voice in the process.”

JPAC, established Oct. 1, 2003, is located on the island of Oahu at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam, Hawaii, and conducts global search, recovery and laboratory operations to identify unaccounted-for Americans from past conflicts. The laboratory portion of JPAC, referred to as the Central Identification Laboratory, is the largest and most diverse forensic skeletal laboratory in the world.

Lumpkin also toured the JPAC satellite laboratory facility on Offutt Air Force Base, Neb, which JPAC opened in June. It provides nearly 40,000 square feet for laboratory and analysis work, evidence and record storage, as well as administration space. The satellite facility’s forensics laboratory is about 27,000 square feet, and it supports the department’s efforts to meet the congressionally mandated goal, set to take effect in 2015, to have the capacity to identify 200 unaccounted-for U.S. service members from past conflicts per year.

On Feb. 20, Hagel directed Lumpkin to review the department’s current personnel accounting program and provide him a reorganization plan to better organize the department most effectively and to increase to the maximum extent possible the numbers of missing service personnel accounted for annually, while ensuring timely and accurate information is provided to families.

On March 31, Hagel accepted Lumpkin’s plan, which addressed organizational and process changes, and consolidates all DOD assets into a single, accountable entity that has oversight of all personnel accounting resources, research and operations across the Defense Department.

Director of Air National Guard swears in 15 Airmen to kick off Louisville air show

by Maj. Dale Greer
123rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs

4/14/2014 - LOUISVILLE, Ky -- Lt. Gen. Stanley E. Clarke III, director of the Air National Guard, swore in 15 members of the Kentucky Air National Guard during a live television coverage event kicking off Thunder Over Louisville here April 11.

These newly sworn in Airmen are the newest members of the Kentucky Air National Guard.

"It's pretty exciting to begin my career in the Kentucky Air National Guard by having a three-star general swear me in on live television," said Samantha Ruzanaka, a new recruit who will be joining the 123rd Security Forces Squadron here as a fire team member. "This a great unit, and that was a great way to begin serving my state and nation."

The event also was a great experience for Clarke, whose son-in-law, Jacob Reynolds, was among the Airmen being sworn in. Reynolds is joining the Kentucky Air Guard's 123rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron as a C-130 crew chief.

"This was my first Thunder, and I was just overwhelmed by the support of the local community," Clarke said. "I was extremely impressed by how engaged people are with the military, how much they love the Guard and, especially, this wing."

Clarke noted that his friend, retired Lt. Gen. John Conaway, a former Kentucky Air Guardsman who served as chief of the National Guard Bureau from 1990 to 1993, had been encouraging him to visit Louisville and the 123rd Airlift Wing for a long time.

"General Conaway's been telling me for years that this is a great unit," Clarke said, "Now I can go back and report to him that he is correct."

The annual show, one of the largest air show and fireworks displays in North America, is staged over the Ohio River and featured performances this year by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team and 15 other acts, drew a crowd of more than 650,000 spectators.

Television coverage, broadcast in Louisville will be edited down for global rebroadcast on Armed Forces Network over the 4th of July weekend.

Flying Critical Care Team displays capabilities during open house

by Airman 1st Class Daniel Lile
14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs

4/11/2014 - COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Medical personnel from Keesler AFB, Miss. and Air National Guard personnel from Jackson, Miss. , joined to display critical care aeromedical transport teams in a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft to the public during the Columbus Air Force Base open house April 5-6. Aeromedical and critical care teams specialize in transporting injured or sick service members when they are unable to fly commercially.

Today, if a wounded American presents with a pulse at a combat hospital in Afghanistan, they have a 99 percent chance of surviving. The combination of rapid surgery near the battlefield to stabilize wounded service members, coupled with early evacuation using flying intensive care medical capability such as CCATT has been responsible for saving thousands of American lives over the past decade.

"A CCAT team consists of three medical personnel and includes a critical-care physician and nurse and a respiratory therapist," said Lt. Col. Heidi Stewart, 81st Medical Group, Keesler AFB, Miss. "We provide care for the most critically-injured service members requiring transportation."

In the past when a military member was injured, they would be kept at their current location until a near full recovery. This proved to be ineffective and inefficient; CCAT teams were created as a solution.

"When a military member is injured or sick and needs transportation, we will send an aeromedical team like the ones from the Mississippi Air Guard on a mission to transport that person to higher level medical care," said Col. Allen Kidd, 14th Medical Group Commander at Columbus AFB. "If that person is critically ill, a CCAT team will join the aeromedical team."

A very important part of helping injured service members is getting them back home to their families as soon as possible; with CCAT teams service members get home faster than ever thought possible.

"Back in the Vietnam era when service members got injured they would stay in-country until they almost fully recovered, then come home," said Stewart. "Now if a service member is injured downrange we could have him or her back home within 72 hours. This new capability has saved many thousands of lives."

Since aeromedical teams often don't know what aircraft they will be flying in, they must adapt to the situation.

"We fly with any aircraft of opportunity, which is what makes us so flexible. This airshow was unique because we demonstrated aeromedical and critical care evacuation capabilities on many of the major types of aircraft we fly, including the C-17, the C-130 Hercules and the KC-135 Stratotanker, but also on the HH-60 Blackhawk helicopter," said Stewart.

During the 2014 Columbus AFB Air Show and Open House, medical personnel from both Keesler AFB and 172nd Airlift Wing at Jackson combined for an aeromedical display on multiple aircraft to show the public the capabilities and versatility of their medical teams. The Mississippi Air Guard has been a important player in aeromedical evacuation for wounded service members for the past decade.

"We're out here to show the community and the citizens of Mississippi that active duty, guard and reserve Airmen can come together and get a bigger bang for the buck," said Stewart. "We have a great working relationship and this event is a good opportunity to show that off."

The Wings Over Columbus Heritage to Horizons Open House and Air Show provided a stage to showcase the Total Force Aeromedical capability that uniquely resides in the state of Mississippi.

"This airplane is ready to go. All we need is the gas and a tasking," said the 172nd AW's Lt. Col. Kem McEntyre.

81 SFS honors fallen Airmen with new memorial

by Airman 1st Class Stephan Coleman
81st Training Wing Public Affairs

4/14/2014 - KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- The 81st Security Forces Squadron unveiled its memorial to fallen Airmen defenders April 11, in the guard mount room of the SFS headquarters building.

The memorial honors all nine security forces Airmen who lost their lives during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom:

1st Lt. Joseph D. Helton; Tech. Sgt. Jason L. Norton; Staff Sgts. Todd James Lobriaco, John T. Self, Brian S. McElroy, and Travis L. Griffin; Senior Airmen Nicholas J. Alden and Jason D. Nathan, and Airmen 1st Class Elizabeth N. Jacobson and Leebernard E. Chavis,

"We talk about a tradition of honor and a legacy of valor," said Tech. Sgt. Vincent Brasher, 81st SFS. "This is it. The memorial speaks for itself."

The new display is a "fallen soldier battlefield cross," which consists of a standing rifle with a helmet and dog tags adorning it, and boots at the base. The biographies of the deceased Airmen are mounted on the wall being the memorial.

All aspects of the new addition to the room, including a new paint job, were donated or paid for by fundraising among the security forces squadron, said Major Brian Fitzpatrick, 81st SFS commander.

The idea, put forward by Senior Master Sgt. Robert Degennaro, came from his time stationed overseas.

Degennaro explains that he needed a project to instill pride in an Airman who was dealing with a hard time. The project was originally just to display the photos of fallen security forces Airmen, but became something more as it was worked on.

"She kept coming to me and asking to do more, and I told her to run with it," said Degennaro. "She told me afterward that reading the biographies of the fallen Airmen made her reflect on how her own troubles weren't so bad."

Enlisting the help of Airmen 1st Class Joseph Prescott, Airman 1st ClassAlec Blackmon and Senior Airman Kevin Rozas, Brasher took donations from security forces personnel and other base agencies to build Keesler's own memorial. They acquired the helmet and boots from a recently retired Airman and the display weapon from combat arms training and management.

Several security force Airmen had stories of who they knew on the wall, either from being deployed or training together.

The guard mount room is used by flight sergeants to conduct roll calls, inspect the flight members, disseminate information and ensure each security forces member is fit for duty. The memorial will be visible to all SFS Airmen before starting their shift.

"We always talk about history, heritage, and try to make it apply to everyday life," said Chief Master Sgt. Farrell Thomas, 81st Training Wing command chief. "Sometimes we go back to WWI and the Civil War, but these are Airmen we can relate to. These are Airmen we knew."

Every day Airmen put your life at risk, whether deployed or at home. The memorial is a testament to their efforts, said Thomas.

The security forces memorial will be a daily call to Airmanship for security forces personnel.

"When I greet new Airmen, I try to impress upon them to aspire toward Airmanship, to embrace our heritage and our core values," said Col. Rene Romero, 81st TRW vice commander. "That means doing the right thing each and every day."

"This is a great example of that," he added. "It's telling these Airmen's story. It's a sad thing when we've lost folks that we know, we wish that that didn't have to happen. It's a reminder that we never know when our time is up, so it's our charge to live each day honorably."

AF Surgeon General aims to help cyber Airmen

by 2nd Lt. Meredith Hein
24th Air Force Public Affairs

4/11/2014 - JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas -- 

Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Thomas Travis, Surgeon General of the Air Force, visited 24th Air Force April 10 in an effort to learn about ways that the medical community can support cyber operators. 

"AF Medicine is here to support operations," said Travis.  "We need to provide the right support for Airmen and their families.  I wanted to start this conversation with cyber."

In many areas, including cyber, there is high stress related to the high tempo of operations, noted Travis.  With so much at stake, there is a need to go directly to the operator.

"We are aiming to customize access, customize prevention, and customize care for this growing operational capability" said Travis. 

The general discussed an initiative he began which aims to either embed or dedicate the right type of medical support for operational units.  This practice has been in the works for several years in special operations, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, remotely piloted aircraft and explosive ordnance disposal career fields. 

"People have to be healthy and fit to be effective," said Travis.  "If we can help people with injuries or mental health issues in the near term, or prevent them to begin with, mission success and Airman wellness is far more likely."

Mental health practitioners have been particularly useful in at-risk, high-pressure jobs, including ISR and RPA career fields, where operators may be more comfortable discussing issues before they become a real problem, said Travis.  These providers have the right clearances to be adjacent and available to these operators in their workplace.  They know the individuals and the mission, and the individual knows and trusts them.   A trip to the clinic may not even be necessary.  But if it is, they go see "their doc", much like we have been doing in flight medicine for many decades

 "The members of the units know their doctors.  That breaks down the stigmas and barriers to care," said Travis.  "It helps to know somebody who you can talk to who has the right clearance to hear what you have to say."

The special operations community, for instance, has specialists who train operators in advance of deployments to prevent injuries and mental health issues.  These same providers then provide care for any problems when the operators return from deployment, enabling them to get better quicker.  In some cases, such as EOD, flights are enrolled to a provider, who works and trains with the flight to get a sense of the physical and emotional stresses the operators are facing, said Travis. 

"This program also gives a sense of mission and purpose to providers like some have never had before," said Travis.  The goal is to teach providers to understand the missions that they are supporting in order to provide the best level of care. 

Travis noted that line mission commanders have been actively seeking the support the Air Force Medical Service has been working to provide through these programs, and he hopes to be able to extend this initiative into the cyber domain to help cyber operators. 

"Cyber is growing in importance, and the Airmen doing this mission perform brilliantly," said Travis.  As such, we are trying to adapt to this new brand of operators.  We have to provide a new kind of support that allows these Airmen to have better access to the help they need."

The general was impressed with the mission carried out by these cyber operators each day. 

"Being here has reaffirmed to me that cyber is clearly operational" said Travis.  It is more than network support.  It's projecting power where it is needed.  Cyber is no doubt part of air power dominance."

90th FS Pilots, equipment tested at Tyndall AFB

by Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert Barnett
JBER Public Affairs

4/11/2014 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Air Force Capt. William Albert could feel the missile bay door opening on his F-22 Raptor as the Air Intercept Missile-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile was launched outside, the rocket motor then engaged, giving the missile speed and shooting it out into the sky near Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., March 19, 2014.

The target was an orange, remotely-piloted, BGM-167A Subscale Aerial Target, designed as an evasive target for fighter jets during a Weapon System Evaluation Program at Tyndall Air Force Base. Twelve jets and more than 200 people, including 25 pilots, went to Tyndall Air Force Base to evaluate everything from procedures to equipment.

"It was pretty cool," said Albert, an F-22 pilot with the 90th Fighter Squadron out of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. "I could feel the launcher kicking the missile out of the jet."

Once the rocket motor burnt out, the smoke trail stopped and the pilot lost sight of the missile. He watched the progress on the radar.

Albert wasn't the only pilot monitoring the drone on radar. He and Air Force Maj. Russell Badowski and were the third and fourth shooters against the drone. They flew parallel to each other, about a mile apart, and simultaneously fired their AIM-120 missiles.

Albert's missile got there first. For training purposes, the missiles didn't have warheads - his missile speared the drone.

"I was able to see it twist and turn as the drone basically disintegrated at the moment of impact and dropped out of the sky," said the pilot from Olympia, Wash. "It was pretty cool to get to see what that looked like on the radar."

Badowski's missile connected seconds later, hitting the already-damaged target.

"It was pretty cool for both of us to get that kind of success on a shot at a $750,000 drone," Albert said.

Going to WSEP is a Pacific Air Forces requirement. The program is run by the 83rd Fighter Weapons Squadron, part of the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group at Tyndall Air Force Base. The 90th FS went there from March 17 to 28 for the two-week evaluation.

"The Air Combat Command commander has a directive that he would like everyone to get evaluated down there on a regular basis," said Badowski, director of operations for the 90th FS. "However, due to our remote location, funding and deployment requirements, we haven't been able to go since 2010."

The program ensures the jets work, the maintainers have them ready to go, the AMRAAM launchers and the AIM-9 launchers are working appropriately, and the fire control system on the aircraft is working appropriately, Badowski said. It validates the missiles are made properly. The whole system is validated by going to this evaluation.

"I thought just loading them up was a lot of fun," said Air Force Staff Sgt. Jonathan Miller, 90th FS weapons team chief and native of Chino Hills, Calif. "The pilots came; they were all excited. They were still all hyped up when they came back. Everyone was really excited, it was a good experience."

It's important to have the experience of physically firing weapons, Badowski said.

"If we were to get called to go to war," Badowski said, "a lot of the young guys have never seen what it looks like to actually have a missile come off the jet; to see what the smoke plume is going to look like; to verify that missile is looking the way that it should. It's good for the guys to have that experience before the first time is in the heat of battle."

The pilots shot 12,000 rounds of bullets through every M-61 A1 gun they brought to ensure they were working properly, he said.

"When there's a Gatling gun that's going off about 10 feet over your shoulder, knowing what it feels like in the jet and having the sights, sounds and experiences those things are crucial because while we train, we don't have actual ammunition coming from the jet," he said. "We train on a daily basis but you don't get to experience what that feels like."

WSEP was developed in the Vietnam War, he said. It is designed to validate the pilots, the aircraft and the missiles to make sure they function properly.

"It was definitely a really valuable experience as a fighter pilot, to use your primary weapon and feel what it's like to have a missile come off the jet and actually hit something," Albert said.

"WSEP provides us the opportunity to evaluate the man, the machine and the missile," Badowki said. "We make sure everything is working perfectly so that when we go to war, we can go in confidence that everything is going to work as it's supposed to and we can be successful."

C-17'S JOIN ARMY TO TOTE THE LOAD

by STAFF SGT. RASHARD COAXUM
315th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

4/14/2014 - JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. April 14, 2014 -- Four Air Force Reserve Command C-17 Globemaster III's moved four tanks weighing more than 260 tons in addition to a contingency of Army personnel last week from Wright Army Airfield, Ga.

C-17 air and ground crews - from the 315th Airlift Wing here and the 445th Airlift Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio - teamed up to transport the M1A1SA Abrams battle tanks and an element of Soldiers from Wright AAF, Ga., to McEntire Air National Guard Base, S.C., in support of a tank movement for the Army's 1/118th Combat Arms Brigade.

Coordinating the effort was the 315th Airlift Control Flight from JB Charleston, under the command of Lt. Col. Lamar Thigpen. "What's so great about this mission is that we are really moving something that has to go somewhere," Thigpen said. "Typically in exercises we pick it up here and move it to another base then pick it up there and bring it back where it started, but this to me is a real world movement and operation."

The ALCF, the Air Force's mobile command and control contingency response unit, provides oversight on air mobility processes such as air operations planning and execution, load planning and aerial port operations. The Air Force Reserve command currently operates five airlift control flights that provide highly trained airlift personnel to manage, coordinate and control air mobility assets as well as having the capability for operating at locations where there is limited support. In addition to those capabilities, ALCF's are able to deploy within 36 hours of being tasked as a contingency response element to the most austere places, Thigpen said.

"Let's say that the Army or Marines have located an area with nothing on where support is needed. They call us and we can go in and set up command and control fast," Thigpen said. "We have the personnel who can coordinate the airflow of things coming in so that we can get them off the airfields and to the people who really need them." "If we look back to the earthquake in Haiti, the ALCF was tasked with running Homestead Air Reserve Base [Florida] as an intermediate staging base in support of the emergency relief missions," he said. "Our command and control had visibility on all the missions and were able to contact people down in Haiti to find out what they needed."

"Based on what was needed, our guys were able to prioritize the shipments, get the chalks together and figure out what needed to get there first," he said. Lt. Col. John Russi - the airlift operations coordinator for this tank mission and aircraft commander for the second transport C-17 from JB Charleston - helped plan this first ever combined operational movement of the Abrams tanks with the South Carolina Army National Guard.

He said that it takes a combined effort for the ALCF to make a mission like this tank movement successful. "We've done a lot of coordinating with the Army," he said. "We had to handle issues like making sure we had the performance we needed. We came down a month ago and did site surveys. We had to make sure the ramp could handle the aircraft and that after the plane was on the ground, it could turn in addition to so many other things." In addition to the safety aspect, Russi noted that a heavy focus of the mission was placed on effective training for the air and ground crews. "We wanted to make sure that everything would be safe for everyone training during the mission because that training is extremely important to what the ALCF does," he said.

"We don't normally lift this kind of weight," Russi said. "There have only been a handful of times a C-17 has been used to carry an M1 tank. That was either to take them to Iraq or Afghanistan or for the initial operational phase for the C-17 to do capability demonstrations." "This gives us more real-time real-world experience in the case we're actually transporting these into combat again," Russi said. The 315th ALCF was recently awarded as the Air Force Reserve Command ALCF of the year for 2013.

Thigpen said that he was proud of all the Airmen involved with missions like the tank movement and how they work together to make the ALCF entity it is to be in position to receive these types of accolades. "We really are the grease of the machine," Thigpen said. "We are the conduit between the user and our higher headquarters." "We make the centralized control and decentralized execution, and we make that happen because we are the bridge between the two.

He said that in the long term, he hopes that being that conduit will help build stronger relationships not only nationally between our military service branches but internationally with other countries. "We are the smallest group of a contingency response force. We can get out and help you get your stuff where it needs to go regardless of who you are," Thigpen said. "Ultimately, the Airlift Control Flight is about building relationships because that is what ALCF's do."

AFSOC command chief bids farewell

by Staff Sgt. Erica Horner
Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs

3/17/2014 - HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- After three years, three months in a front row seat to the dynamic mission of special operations, Chief Master Sgt. William Turner, command chief of Air Force Special Operations Command, will be heading to the U.S. Transportation Command as the command senior enlisted leader.

"[AFSOC] has been my heart. It's been my passion. It's what I believe in," said Turner. "I know what these guys do, I know what their families give to this mission and I know the sacrifices that are being made every day to make sure that our nation is safe."

In 1986 the Kentucky native enlisted in the Air Force as an F-15 weapons loader, but moved into AFSOC after only a few years.

"In 1990, I applied to be a gunner on the AC-130H gunship," said Turner, who received orders to the 16th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Fla. "As soon as I arrived and met the people at the squadron, they took me under their wing and showed me the way. I've loved it ever since."

The chief said he's seen the command go through numerous changes throughout the years.

"When I showed up [to Hurlburt Field] in 1991, there were about 4,500 service members and civilians working on the base and we were flying the Vietnam era aircraft," he said. "The new kids on the block were the Talon IIs."

Today Hurlburt has more than doubled their number to approximately 11,000 while AFSOC has grown to more than 19,000 personnel and has expanded its aircraft fleet to support the warfighter's capabilities.

"AFSOC is a step ahead in the changing world," he said. "And as this world continues to change, AFSOC will always be at the forefront of getting things done and getting out on the battlefield and executing the mission of our nation; because we can't fail at this. [The mission] is too precious."

Turner, who has served 21 years of his 28-year career in AFSOC, speaks fondly of the Air Commandos.

"I'm proud of our Air Commandos," said Turner. "Everybody everywhere talks about AFSOC forces. They talk about the great pride and professionalism that our Air Commandos possess. And I can tell you with great confidence that we have the best leadership team assembled taking care of our great force."

Although Turner will miss his Air commandos, he is excited for his assignment at U.S. TRANSCOM.

"They do everything," he said. "Whether it's moving stuff by rail, by ship, or plane, they move stuff to the warfighter and make sure they have what they need to execute the mission. It's going to be a very important mission and I look forward to the challenge."

Frank Cable Visits Malaysia

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Zac Shea, USS Frank Cable Public Affairs

SEPANGAR, Malaysia (April 13, 2014) (NNS) -- The submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40) arrived at Sepangar, Malaysia, April 13, for a port visit as part of a regularly scheduled underway period in the Western Pacific.

"The purpose of our visit to Malaysia is to promote stability and security in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region, to demonstrate commitment to regional partners, and to foster growing relationships," said Capt. Mark Benjamin, commanding officer of Frank Cable. "This port visit offers Frank Cable Sailors an opportunity to learn the rich culture and deep heritage of the great nation of Malaysia and to meet the friendly people therein."

During the port visit, Frank Cable Sailors plan to participate in community service events and get to know the local culture by visiting museums and sight-seeing locations throughout the area. The community service events planned include visits to Likas Hospital, Bukit Harapan Children's Home and Single Mother's Association of Karambunai. There will also be opportunities for Frank Cable Sailors to meet with and exchange ideas with their counterparts from the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN).

"Our goals are to engage RMN submarine force leadership to continue building relationships and a better understanding of each others' capabilities," said Benjamin. "The U.S. Navy and RMN will train together in the areas of Anti-Surface Warfare, Anti-Submarine Warfare, and Quality Assurance maintenance practices. Frank Cable will also host the RMN on board the ship for tours which will be focused on submarine repair and support."

Many among the crew look forward to volunteer opportunities and to experience the local culture.

"I'm excited to see more of Malaysia," said Yeoman 2nd Class Tui James, who has visited Malaysia once before. "I'll be going to the Bukit Harapan Children's home. It's great seeing the kids, they always make me smile."

Malaysia is a nation of approximately 30 million people located in southeastern Asia and has had diplomatic ties with the U.S. since the nation was established in 1957.

"We must maintain our growing relationship with the RMN in order to promote the region's security and prosperity," said Benjamin. "Our strong and enduring security partnership is critical to combating transnational threats, international peacekeeping, maritime security, and humanitarian assistance and disaster response."

Frank Cable, forward deployed to the island of Guam, conducts maintenance and support of submarines and surface vessels deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility and is currently on a scheduled underway period.