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AMC ready to assist in Burma relief operations

  • Published
  • By Maj. Dave Huxsoll
  • Air Mobility Command Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  Airmen from the 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center said Friday that if called upon, they are prepared to assist victims of Cyclone Nargis, which ravaged Burma last week, leaving as many as 100,000 dead and millions homeless.

Thus far, the Burmese government has allowed the U.S. to fly only limited relief missions to the country.

The 618th TACC at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., is the 18th Air Force hub for planning and directing tanker and transport aircraft operations around the world. TACC planners say some assets are already standing by and others can be dispatched on short notice.

One 618th TACC-tasked C-17 aircraft has been deployed to Thailand since last week to participate in the annual Cobra Gold exercise, and may be used to provide desperately needed supplies. In addition, two C-17 crews remain on alert at McChord AFB, Wash.

"They are ready to support the Burma relief effort if called upon to do so," said Col. Chris Moulton, 618th TACC Senior Controller.

"AMC and the 618th TACC are experienced in responding to natural disasters," he said. "It is one of our core competencies."

"We coordinate flights globally for an average of 450 airlift and air refueling aircraft flying multiple missions each day," said Rich Richardson, 618th TACC Director of Operations, "and can seamlessly redirect aircraft to support requirements for contingency or disaster relief operations."

AMC Airmen are experienced in providing humanitarian assistance, having provided assistance the wake of disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, earthquakes in Pakistan, Peru and Indonesia, and in the aftermath of the Tsunami that struck Southeast Asia in 2004.

Two contingency response wings assigned to AMC provide tailored units that can quickly open airfields in remote locations and extend AMC's ability to deploy people and equipment around the globe.

During Katrina and Rita the 618th TACC tasked nearly 900 sorties to support relief efforts. Mobility forces moved more than 14,600 passengers, nearly 3,000 patients, and hauled the equivalent of 686 semi-truckloads of supplies to and from the Gulf Coast region.

Within the first 24 hours of Katrina's landfall, the 618th TACC aggressively moved search-and-rescue teams and their equipment to Louisiana, and then quickly shifted focus to a hub-and-spoke operation to bring in supplies and rescue patients.

During Pakistan earthquake relief operations in 2005, the 621st Contingency Response Wing, McGuire AFB, N.J., supported 273 U.S. missions. They provided 15,294,000 pounds of relief supplies, which included more than 93,000 sleeping bags and 292,000 blankets. The wing also loaded 587 trucks and processed 4,481 pallets.