An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Contingency Response Wing activated at Travis AFB

  • Published
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --   Air Mobility Commands mission of rapid global mobility is on the forefront now more than ever.

With the standup of the new 615th Contingency Response Wing here Monday, the 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Forces already extensive contribution to the mobility mission will expand even further.

The activation of CRWs and associated groups at Travis and McGuire (Air Force Base, N.J.) is not only historic, but clearly signals our resolve to posture our mobility forces for rapid base opening operations anywhere in the world, said Lt. Gen. William Welser III, 18th Air Force commander.

Lessons learned from Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom drove the need for an integral base opening construct. Ad-hoc teams lacked the understanding how each part of a base opening team integrates together. 

Contingency Response Groups deliver a cohesive group of functional experts trained together to open the base. Theyll be light, lean and quick to deploy and employ, said Brig. Gen. (Select) Brooks Bash, 15th EMTF commander.

The concept of CRGs, developed in 1999 at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, teams people from a broad spectrum of job specialties to fully assess and open new air bases at a moments notice, a revelation in mindset compared to the old concept of sending makeshift groups of people to support the air operations portion of a bare base. While the CRGs dont actually seize the airfields, they are responsible for setting up the ensuing airbase operations and necessary support functions for a deployed location.

CRG is a full spectrum force, said Brig. Gen. (S) Bash. Whether opening an airbase for combat forces or humanitarian relief forces, the CRG delivers base opening capability worldwide with rapid and immediate results. 

With the ever increasing expeditionary nature of modern warfare, AMC must be organized to quickly and effectively open airfields and conduct continuous air mobility operations anywhere in the world, said General John W. Handy, commander of AMC and U.S. Transportation Command. The creation of CRWs moves us another step closer to an appropriate construct from which to shape and manage the future of our contributions to the nations warfighting capabilities.

Much like the value of an all-star team compared to a pick-up squad, combatant commanders now have the first team ready to go at a moments notice.