87th ABW celebrates first birthday in New Jersey

Published March 4, 2010
By Airman 1st Class Bryan M. Swink
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- JB MDL celebrates a milestone as March 3 marked the one-year anniversary since the 87th Air Base Wing was activated.

Just over a year ago, the new wing stood up in a split from the 305th Air Mobility Wing, officially transferring the responsibility of providing installation-management to McGuire Air Force Base, Fort Dix and Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst.

The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure legislation directed the Department of Defense to realign 26 separate installations into 12 joint base installations. Among this was Recommendation 146, establishing Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.

"The physical aspect of the standup is complete," said Colonel Gina Grosso, JB MDL and 87th ABW commander. "Even though the transition went quite smoothly, the real issue is to continue to create best practices from the work we already know how to do."

The newly activated 87th ABW stood-up on March 3, 2009. This paved the way for JB MDL to establish initial operational capability April 10. The joint base reached full operational capability Oct. 1, 2009.

The wing traces its lineage to 1952 when it was organized during the Korean War as a troop carrier wing. The command served as a training unit for medium-sized airlifters like the C-46 Commando and C-47 Skytrain which were used extensively in Korea and throughout the world. A consolidation of training units forced the inactivation of the 87th Troop Carrier Wing on Feb. 1, 1953.

"The planning process took three years to ensure the joint base reached its full operational capability," said Colonel Grosso. "The wing has changed dramatically in our short history. The joint base grew approximately 50 percent by merging Army and Navy employees into our Air Force family."

The 87th ABW's mission is to provide mission-ready warfighters to support unified combatant commanders in global military operations and unrivaled installation management for America's only tri-service joint-base.

"Nothing happens without dedicated people," said Colonel Grosso. "Our workforce is adapting best practices and institutionalizing it across the installation."

The success of the wing thus far is a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved," said Colonel Grosso. "Our wing may be young, but we've had a great start. We've raised the bar for the many great accomplishments we'll certainly attain in our future ... happy birthday 87th ABW!"