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AMC commander foresees high ops tempo

  • Published
The men and women of Air Mobility Command will continue to face a high operations tempo in support of the Global War on Terrorism, said Gen. John W. Handy, AMC and U.S. Transportation Command commander, during a visit here Sept. 22.

Dealing with such a high operations tempo requires a total team effort from a force of active duty and Guard and Reserve Airmen, civilians, contractors, and family members.

According to the general, more than 45percent of the deployed AMC force is comprised of Guard and Reserve Airmen. They are an integral part of the war effort.

"The active component of AMC is the minority," said General Handy. "The majority in air refueling and airlift are from the Guard and Reserve. A vast majority of our C-130 capabilities, a significant amount of our C-5 capabilities, and a growing number of our C-17 assets are Guard and Reserve."

Air Mobility's guardsmen and reservists are equally trained, organized and equipped to do anything the active component can do, said the commander. It makes no difference whether active, Guard or Reserve Airmen performs the mission; everyone has the same standards, performance criteria, tactics and technical procedures.

That's a huge contributor to the peace and stability in the world," he said. "In a peaceful state, we don't need to rely on the volunteers so much, and we're not paying the full price of an active duty component to get all that work done. They're trained, ready and capable in wartime and in peacetime, and they're at our fingertips should we need them."

Because the AMC team remains so committed to the mission, General Handy said his main concern for the future is taking care of the command's people and their families.

"The challenge is trying to help the families involved. That's an ongoing challenge, and there's no easy answer," he said. However, one thing holds true throughout all our operations. Support from family is a critical part of successful mission accomplishment. Positive attitudes, high morale and dedication from families throughout the Global War on Terrorism have played a key role.

Beyond the families' involvement in the GWOT is the unique mission of the 89th Airlift Wing.

"I'm always surprised to see the number ofAMC assets (on Andrews)," he said. "That tells you that Andrews isn't simply the home of the 89th and Air Force One, it's the home of an extraordinary mission that supports the president, first lady, vice president and other significant people in Washington, and is a basic focal point for things we do in the command."

The wing's major missions, such as taking care of Air Force One and the 1st Helicopter Squadron, demonstrate that Andrews is one of the premier wings in AMC, General Handy said. "Those Airmen asking how they contribute to the Global War on Terrorism can turn on the TV and see, first hand, what they're doing is contributing to the success of this nation and the protection of our freedoms."

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