Military

OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM (USAFENS) -- Ask any business owner about the most important rule of economics and they will tell when demand exceeds supply, business is good.  Ask the same question to a tanker crew when their demand far outweighs their supply and they will tell you business is booming.  Literally. 

KC-135 crews from Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England; Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D. and the Wisconsin Air National Guard joined forces recently, making a 'corporate merger' into the 401st Air Expeditionary Wing in the Mediterranean region and have been open for business refueling Air Force, Navy and allied aircraft. 

Although the location of the base cannot be disclosed due to host nation sensitivities, the KC-135 Stratotanker operation is the largest in the Combined Air Forces-North region and stands ready for any mission Operation Enduring Freedom brings their way. 

Lt. Col. Sean Carey, 911th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron commander, said the deployment of Grand Forks tankers here went great and the attitude of his aircrew members and support personnel remains very upbeat. 

"This is the fourth operating location the wing (319th Air Refueling Wing, Grand Forks AFB) has been deployed to in one year," said Carey.  "We're used to deploying from snow to sand in minimal time and making a direct impact on national security.  Everyone understands the importance of what we're doing, which is reflected in their positive, can-do attitude."

Operating out of a deployed environment is always more difficult than from home station and depending if the deployed location has existing communication infrastructure or a bare base can make all the difference.  Capt. Jonathan Keen, a planning officer from RAF Mildenhall, said the deployment has been a learning experience for everyone involved. 

"The hardest thing about the deployment so far has been the information flow," said Keen.  "We've come a long way in the last 15 years but it's still amazing how much we rely on technology.  Our buildings and working conditions have steadily improved since we've been here but it makes you appreciate how people operated before us." 

With the recent influx of aircraft and aircrew members coming in, flight scheduling for both bases has been busy with the number of increasing missions.  Capt. Rob Pochert is a scheduling officer for the deployment and has been involved with the integration of the units from the very beginning. 

A nine-year veteran, Pochert like many of the aircrew members has several previous deployments in his business portfolio and said he's been impressed with the experienced personnel from both each location. 

"The Grand Forks aircrews have a lot of experience from deployments to PSAB (Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia) and ONW (Operation Northern Watch, Incirlik AB, Turkey) where the aircrews from RAF Mildenhall have the European experience," said Pochert.  "We need both sides of those experiences for this deployment as we deal with issues such as diplomatic clearances, air tasking orders and host nation sensitivities. 

"There wasn't much pre-existing Air Force assets or infrastructure to support this large of an operation initially but the cohesion of our units and the support from the host nation has helped us come a long way in a short time," he added.

Senior Airman Chris Rueckert is a boom operator from Grand Forks AFB who just recently arrived. 

"This is my sixth deployment and although there have been challenges merging two units together, the opportunity to work with new people has been nice.  I've done other rotational deployments before, but knowing the impact of this deployment and that something bigger is coming makes this one particularly special," said Rueckert.

The 401st AEW has three kinds of refueling capabilities with the new multi-point refueling system (MPRS), the boom drogue assembly, and the hard boom, allowing for aerial refueling of any type of aircraft in the U.S. or allied inventory.

As Lt. Col. Chevy Cleaves, 351st EARS commander, put it, "We put the 'global' in mobility, reach, strike, attack, and presence."  Cleaves and Carey are splitting the CEO duties of the tanker fleet, each commanding a squadron. 

"The operation is going very well," said Cleaves, deployed from RAF Mildenhall.  "The role of the tanker is pivotal to any operation and certainly this one.  It's also unique in the sense that we are the only Air Force in the world with extensive in-flight refueling capability.  MPRS plays a key part in that because it allows us to conduct either boom or drogue refueling on the same mission.increasing efficiency, flexibility and effectiveness for America and its allies. 

"Everyone here is focused on serving their country.  I'm extremely proud of their dedication and preparation," added the colonel.  "I know that, as always, they'll be there whenever and wherever they are needed." 

In a time of economic slumps and employment worries, the job opportunities for the KC-135 remain stronger than ever.  Especially when the demand far outweighs the supply.

-- USAFENS --