NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain -- United States Air Force Expeditionary Center commander, Maj. Gen. John Klein, and USAFEC command chief, Chief Master Sgt. Courtney Freeman, traveled to Naval Station Rota, Feb. 20, 2023, as part of a unit immersion where they gained a first-hand perspective of what their units are doing to project, connect, maneuver and sustain the joint force.
During the visit, the leadership team received several briefings from members of the 521st Air Mobility Operations Group and 725th Air Mobility Squadron that highlighted their progress towards evolving into the Next Generation Air Mobility Operations Wing, or NextGen AMOW.
“One of my top priorities is the shift in mindset to a war-fighting priority,” said Col. Dawson Brumbelow, 521st AMOG commander. Paraphrasing a quote attributed to an unknown Navy SEAL, he went on to say, “you can rise to the occasion in terms of character and will, but you will sink to the level of your training.”
The NextGen AMOW will require a properly organized force. One of the items being considered during this organization is geographically relocating the 521st AMOG’s Detachment 1, currently located at Morón Air Base, to be permanently located at NS Rota, for day-to-day activities, increasing efficiency by only requiring personnel to travel to Morón to support missions as needed.
“Morón is only an hour and eight minute drive from Rota,” said Capt. Rebecca Roach, Morón AB Det. 1 commander. “Allowing us to be permanently stationed at Rota and travel to Morón AB on an as-needed basis will allow us an opportunity to better integrate with the 521st AMOG, improve our sense of purpose and unit morale, and support a broader mission set than what we currently can.”
Another organizational change for the NextGen AMOW is the development of Air Mobility Teams. These teams will be small pre-built groups of aerial porters and aircraft maintainers that can deploy as a pre-built package at a moment’s notice as opposed to building a team ad hoc when a crisis arises. One of the key ways the 521st AMOG is evolving to meet future needs is by leveraging commercial, off-the-shelf technologies to arm the 521st AMOG Airmen with capabilities that will allow them to continue supporting the mission at forward locations.
“We’re currently looking at virtual reality technology like the Microsoft HoloLens that will provide a second set of eyes to our Airmen as they’re working on aircraft,” said Lt. Col. Dan Cooley, 521st AMOW commander. “A maintainer from a main operating base will have the opportunity to provide over the shoulder support from over the horizon.”
As units that make up the global air mobility support system, including those that fall under the 521st AMOW, work towards leveraging these new ways to keep Airmen on the leading edge of expeditionary warfare, they’re supporting the USAFEC strategy to organize, train and equip Airmen for expeditionary warfare.
“Our AMOWs are the foundation of the Global Air Mobility Support System, and it’s our Airmen that run the AMOWs,” said Klein. “Airmen are the reason Operation Allies Refuge and Operation Allies Welcome were successful, and as we organize, train and equip our Airmen for expeditionary warfare, I’m committed to ensuring the bases they operate from have the tools they need to ensure victory in the high-end fight.”