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Dover plays key presidential support role

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Steve Marciniak
  • 436th AW Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  While there are numerous benefits to being the president of the United States, the ability to travel lightly is generally not considered one of them. The entourage includes numerous staffers, reporters, Secret Service agents and various aides. It also includes a lot of gear, enough to allow the president to continue leading the nation just as if he were at the Oval Office.

But getting all that gear, which ranges from limousines to helicopters to complex communications equipment, to wherever the president is going can't be accomplished in the belly of Air Force One alone. Crews who understand flying outsized cargo to unique airfields all around the world get the call, and many times, that call comes to Dover Air Force Base.

"It's partly due to proximity to Washington, and partly due to capability," according to Michael Holt, the chief of current operations for the 436th Operations Support Squadron. He said that the call for support came to Team Dover 45 times in fiscal year 2007, and Dover crews have played a significant role for the executive branch in recent weeks as well. Even during President Bush's recent 8-day trip to the Middle East, three separate C-17 crews from the 3rd Airlift Squadron participated in transporting the U.S. delegation, which traveled to Israel, the West Bank, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

"It is rewarding to know that the 3rd Airlift Squadron is supporting the president and everything that goes along with our highest-priority mission, said Maj. Kevin Gordon, 3rd AS operations officer. "A lot of behind-the-scene effort goes into ensuring the president's security while traveling, and it's an honor to be a part of that team."

But the newly-arrived Globemaster IIIs aren't the only aircraft to support the presidential missions. As recently as December, a 9th AS-flown C-5 was used to transport White House gear to President Bush's Crawford, Texas ranch for the holiday season.

"The 9th Airlift Squadron supports this high-priority mission through the support program and has done so for years, often times with very little notice," said Lt. Col. Darren James, the squadron's commander. "For instance, during a recent presidential visit to South America, we generated four aircrews to support missions with only 14-hours notice."

Many times, the short notice is a hallmark of the missions, but it is an understandable reality when dealing with the person who symbolizes American democracy to people all over the world.

"Over the past year, we have executed 11 percent of the presidential mission requirement with a 99-percent home-station departure reliability," added Colonel James. "(Additionally) in that time, the 9th AS has delivered 5.5 million pounds of cargo and nearly 2,000 passengers."

Mr. Holt added that just as with nearly all other missions, the 512th Airlift Wing plays an integral role, taking the lead in nearly one-third of all presidential support missions as well as joining forces with their active-duty counterparts to form total force crews.

Due to the sensitive cargo, these missions aren't assigned to just any crewmember. Mr. Holt said the crews are selected based on meeting special requirements. Additionally, some who have demonstrated their expertise are selected to fill two-year assignments as advance agents, who travel prior to the presidential entourage in order to arrange the traveling party's logistics, such as aircraft parking and aviation fuel.

In order to provide the support, Dover crews must be ready to respond quickly, since diplomatic events could come up at a moment's notice, Mr. Holt said, and added that diplomatic sensitivities can prevent notice beyond 96 hours. But then again, being ready to respond is one area that Team Dover members pride themselves on.

"Safe, swift and sure is the motto of the (3rd AS), and we uphold that motto in Presidential support as well as the myriad of other missions we support around the globe," Major Gordon added.