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Direct support: Air Force, AMC officials in 'full support' of Army's airlift needs

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
  • Air Mobility Command Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  The Air Force has been setting records -- airdrop records -- month after month in 2009 in Afghanistan.

In June, a record 2.8 million pounds of cargo was airdropped, only to be beaten in July with 2.9 million, in August with 3.6 million, and again in September with 3.6 million pounds. That's more than 12.9 million pounds of cargo floating down from the skies over Afghanistan -- directly delivering much-needed supplies and aid to the "boots on the ground."

The record number of pounds delivered also means record numbers of airdrop bundles delivered. As an example, in 2007, the Air Force airdropped 5,675 cargo bundles to troops in Afghanistan. In 2009, with an average of about 1,300 bundles a month, the Air Force is on pace to airdrop more than 18,500 bundles this year -- more than tripling the pace of two years ago. This is accomplished with C-17 Globemaster III and C-130 Hercules aircraft.

The airdrops are just one example of how the Air Force and Air Mobility Command are contributing to directly supporting joint and coalition forces on the front lines of both Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. The increase in airdropped supplies grew with the number of forces brought into the theater of operations as a "surge" took place in Afghanistan the past number of months. There's also been a jump in the number of airlift and air refueling sorties as the war effort is heightened.

"The Air Force airdrops are providing needed support to Soldiers in the field; getting people and parts to our guys in the [forward operating bases] and in the mountains," said Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 James Wright, deployed to Afghanistan from the 101st Airborne at Fort Campbell, Ky. "The Air Force is doing a great job and it's great to have them out here."

But what more can be done by the Air Force? How about assuming the lead on the Joint Cargo Aircraft program and its direct support mission for the Army? Not a problem, according to Air Force officials.

In April, through Resource Management Decision 802, Defense Secretary Robert Gates moved the C-27J program and its related direct support mission to the Air Force. Since April, the Air Force and Air Mobility Command have taken a serious approach to building the program.

The Department of Defense's designated direct support mission aircraft is the C-27J Spartan. In a DOD news briefing in May, Undersecretary of Defense Comptroller Robert Hale explained the decision to move the JCA program and its mission.

"What we're looking for in transferring that to the Air Force is to exploit some synergy," Undersecretary Hale said in describing how similar the JCA mission is with the current C-130 tactical airlift mission. Hale thinks if the same service is operating them (JCA), there will be ore commonality and we'll get more capability for the same expenditure.

The Air Force will field 38 C-27Js, operated by the Air National Guard. Two of the 38 programmed C-27Js are currently fielded and going through joint qualification and operational testing with a final basing plan forthcoming. "The Secretary of Defense gave us the C-27 and its mission to the Air Force and we are 100 percent committed to making this work," said Maj. Gen. Brooks Bash, Director of the Air, Space and Information Operations Directorate at AMC Headquarters at Scott AFB.

Taking the lead
AMC is the Air Force's lead command to integrate plans, programs and lessons learned for the C-27J program and the direct support airlift mission.

Headquarters AMC officials, to include General Bash, say the work to build the capability to fully support the Army's needs in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility is continuously progressing in addition to what's already being done.

Col. Bobby Fowler, also from AMC's Air, Space and Information Operations Directorate, said the command is developing the C-27J's Concept of Employment, or CONEMP, for the Air Force's plans to support the Army's direct support mission program. Additionally, a formal test is planned to take place from October through December in Iraq to gather information on this new Air Force mission.

Its purpose is to validate the CONEMP and to ensure we're ready to implement this mission in 2010, Colonel Fowler said. "This test will help us work out the command and control structure of the direct support mission and help us to validate requirements. We want to figure out how best to provide direct support to the Army."

The CONEMP describes how an Army combat aviation brigade or aviation task force and Air Force expeditionary airlift squadrons (with C-27J aircraft) will operate together providing direct support tactical airlift to the Army. This airlift includes moving time-sensitive, mission-critical equipment, supplies and personnel and, as determined by the Department of Defense, cannot be routinely completed by traditional inter- and intra-theater airlift processes.

Time-sensitive, mission-critical requirements reflect the Army commander's immediate priorities for delivery of equipment, supplies and personnel. These requirements are generally non-routine in nature and need to be delivered to their location very quickly. This is where the direct support mission steps in and meets those requirements.

Assets in place meeting needs '100 percent'
In the CENTCOM area of responsibility, the Air Force already has assets coordinating with the Army on missions. For example, as of Aug. 31, 2009, the Air Force has airdropped more than 8.6 million pounds of cargo for the year supporting Army Soldiers and Marines in remote areas of Afghanistan, according to figures from the Combined Air Operations Center in Southwest Asia. Between January and April, an average of up to 900,000 pounds of cargo per month was airdropped. From May through August, the monthly airdrop rate rose and averages between 1.1 million and 1.6 million pounds per month.

The airdrop increase also highlights the fact that over the past two years, new types of airdrops have helped meet the demand such as the Joint Precision Airdrop System and the Improved Container Delivery System. Both JPADS and ICDS airdrop platforms utilize a GPS-guided assist in their use which has allowed for airdrops from higher elevations and in all sorts of weather. Additonally, use of the C-17 Globemaster III as an airdrop plane has more than doubled since 2007 taking on more than 72 percent of all airdrops in 2009 compared to 30 percent two years ago.

"If the Army asks us for something, particularly with airdrops or otherwise, we've been able to fulfill their requests 100 percent of the time," said Col. Keith Boone, chief of the CAOC's Air Mobility Division. "Take for example this past summer in Afghanistan. The Army required us to provide more airdrops and we've met every one of their requests. That's our commitment -- 100 percent -- to meeting their direct support needs."

In 2009, mobility Airmen have demonstrated the fulfillment of quick-response, direct support requirements within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. In the first seven months of 2009, the Air Force met more than 750 distinguished visitor movements and over 250 urgent aeromedical evacuation movements from both Iraq and Afghanistan.

That support is also highlighted in the intra-theater airlift for Iraq and Afghanistan by the Air Force. Through the end of August, in both Iraq and Afghanistan, AMC aircraft have moved more than 815,000 passengers. In August alone, AMC aircraft moved more than 73,000 passengers in Iraq -- many of those Army Soldiers. In the same month for Afghanistan, AMC aircraft moved more than 27,000 passengers with many of them being Army Soldiers as well.

Army Sgt. Angel Quiles Ramos, from Charlie Battery, 1st Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery deployed to an undisclosed base in Southwest Asia, said the support he receives from the Air Force at his deployed base is "critical."

"They provide food, security and water," Sergeant Ramos said. "We don't have to get water because they bring it to us. If anything breaks, we call them and they come to fix it. This is critical because the Air Force provides everything so we can do the mission."

Building trust
In receiving the JCA program and its mission, officials say there is a lot to do as more and more C-27s come into the inventory.

The foundation of this is to build trust and responsiveness, Colonel Fowler said. A concept like this will take time and effort, but most importantly feedback from the forces. We'll continuously review and update this process using inputs from field commanders until it is incorporated into joint doctrine.

As far as the feedback the Air Force received, U.S. Central Command's Commander, Army Gen. David Patraeus, noted how mobility forces are doing well for CENTCOM. He praised for their support during the Air Forces Central, or AFCENT, change of command in August.

"There is an old military saying that amateurs talk tactics; professionals talk logistics," General Patraeus said. "AFCENT talks -- and does -- both. To be sure, AFCENT's tactical operations -- supporting our troopers on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan have been exceptional...the logistics accomplishments have been exceptional, too. Moving the mass formations of troopers and the iron mountain of materiel to perform our missions would be impossible without the phenomenal airlift support provided by the men and women of AFCENT."

As the CENTCOM commander confirmed, the Air Force is fully committed to its deployed mission, particularly its mobility mission. In the direct support mission, that full commitment will continue as new doctrine is developed. As Air Force support to the Army's time-sensitive, mission-critical requirements becomes more mature, the best practices will be captured in joint and service doctrine, tactics, techniques and procedures and service manuals.

"Our commitment to this will not waver," Colonel Fowler said.

(Senior Master Sgt. Ellen Schirmer, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs, and Tech. Sgt. John Jung, 455th AEW Public Affairs, contributed to this story) 

Related story:
Plans progress for C-27J Spartan inclusion into Air Force inventory; related direct support mission plans also moving ahead
http://www.amc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123174438