NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Nearly 1,600 Airmen from around the air mobility community came together for the 48th annual Air Mobility Command and Airlift/Tanker Association Symposium here Oct. 27 to 30, 2016.
Throughout the four-day event, participants attended professional development seminars and visited Air Force organizational and industry partners’ displays.
Gen. Darren W. McDew, U.S. Transportation Command commander, kicked off the symposium Oct. 27 with the opening address.
“You are not just moving stuff; you are providing the nation with options,” said McDew. “Speed, range, and flexibility is what airpower is all about.”
During the first major address, Army Lt. Gen. Patrick J. Donahue II, U.S. Army Forces Command deputy commanding general, discussed the real impact of air mobility to Soldiers in the field.
“I had a brigade in Afghanistan,” recalled Donahue. “We were having trouble supplying them in the mountains. For four months, the Air Force delivered one million pounds of supplies by parachute when the only other option was a donkey.”
During the second day of the symposium, several other speakers highlighted the capabilities that the air mobility community brings to the fight. Speakers included Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James, Gen. Stephen W. Wilson, U.S. Air Force vice chief of staff, and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Cody.
“Across the Total Force, with our allies and partners around the world, and with our industry partners, when we all come together, this mobility community creates unique capabilities that transform the fight.” said James. “These bonds we have built have been the foundation of success the Air Force, and the Joint Force, have relied on for generations. It is essential today, and will be even more critical in the years to come.”
Wilson echoed the secretary’s appreciation for mobility Airmen.
“Today’s mobility Airmen are the most combat-experienced,” said Wilson. “You are the lifeblood of the joint force.”
Gen. Carlton D. Everhart II, Air Mobility Command commander, delivered the closing remarks during the final day of the symposium. He showcased examples of how AMC’s bonds impact the mobility mission.
“Together we operate in a global [area of responsibility] to enable all nine combatant commanders every day of the year,” said Everhart. “We deliver fuel to U.S. and allied nations at 25,000 feet. We deliver humanitarian aid to earthquake-scarred runways and coalition forces to dirt strips in Africa and Afghanistan. Together we deliver teams of scientists to the blue-ice airfields of Antarctica, and when there is no place to land, we airdrop military aid to war-torn countries.
“Our mobility machine provides an incredible capability to our nation and the world,” he concluded. “We do it together, as one Total Force team with commercial, industry, international and joint partners.”