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AMC’s 618th TACC planned, executed large-scale 82nd Airborne deployment for Haiti

  • Published
  • By Headquarters Air Mobility Command Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  Air Mobility Command aircraft and crews have been working around-the-clock, transporting nearly 4,000 personnel and more than 5,000 tons of cargo into Haiti to support relief operations following the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit the region Jan. 12.

Included in those movements are humanitarian supplies, ranging from food and water rations, and the equipment needed to establish the airfield infrastructure.

A major portion of the Air Force effort was dedicated to deploying Soldiers and equipment from the 82nd Airborne Division's Global Response Force, which is being used to facilitate security and the distribution of relief supplies in the region.

The effort to provide airlift to support the 82nd Airborne's move took just under seven hours to plan and was executed in only 100 hours, according to AMC officials. A combination of C-17 Globemaster III and C-130 Hercules aircraft were used to fly the missions, operating out of Pope Air Force Base, N.C.

The missions were planned, tasked and managed by the 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center, AMC's hub for global air operations.

The 618th TACC, located at Scott AFB, Ill., is the lead agency for scheduling and directing AMC's nearly 1,300 aircraft to support worldwide airlift, air refueling and aeromedical evacuation operations.

"The effort to deploy the 82nd Airborne forces took 91 C-17-equivalent loads," said Lt. Col. Mike Kirby, deputy director of the 618th TACC's Mobility Management Directorate. "We were able to close out those 91 C-17 equivalents in 100 hours because Air Mobility Command had people working 24/7 to plan, task and fly these missions. At the same time our Army counterparts were also working around-the-clock to prepare troops and equipment for our flights."

The enormous C-17 Globemaster III is 174 feet long with a wingspan of more than 169 feet and can carry 170,900 pounds of cargo.

The move was also a tribute to the volunteerism across the Air Force's major commands and Air Reserve components.

Units from across the Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard, Pacific Air Forces and Air Education and Training Command answered the call to support the humanitarian efforts by providing aircraft and crews to fly the missions to move the 82nd Airborne into Haiti, according to AMC officials.

"Aircraft and crews came from all over the United States," said Colonel Kirby, "making this an all out Total Force effort, with AMC at the steering wheel."  (618th Tanker Airlift Control Center Public Affairs contributed to this article.)