Aviano home to 16th AETF once again
Released: April 17, 2003
By
Capt. Tadd Sholtis
16th
Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force Public Affairs AVIANO
AIR BASE,
Italy (USAFENS) - Aviano
Air Base, Italy, once again became the home to the headquarters of the 16th Air
and Space Expeditionary Task Force April 17, when 43 members of the staff
returned here from a three-week deployment to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. -- USAFENS --
The arrival marked the beginning of the redeployment of the 180-person staff,
which exercises administrative control over U.S. Air Force personnel and
resources supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom in the U.S. European Command area
of responsibility. The remainder of the staff is expected to return to Aviano or
other home stations later this month.
The staff's primary role in OIF thus far has been coordinating the beddown and
support of more than 4,700 personnel and 100 aircraft at seven bases in six
countries.
Gen. Gregory S. Martin, commander of United States Air Forces in Europe, made
the trip to Aviano to welcome home the deployees and recognize the base's
broader contributions to OIF.
"It wasn't exactly the way we intended it, but it didn't matter to the
folks who went down range," Martin said, referring to the task force's
original mandate to stand up additional expeditionary bases in Turkey.
"They set the (remaining) bases up for force structure and did exactly what
we wanted them to do."
To date, 16th AETF units have flown more than 1,800 sorties in support of OIF.
Among the task force's major achievements, the 457th Air Expeditionary Group has
flown more than 100 B-52 combat sorties against Iraqi regime targets, including
the first use of the Litening II precision targeting pod on that aircraft.
Aerial refueling missions flown by the task force's units have passed
approximately 100 million pounds of aircraft fuel to support coalition air
operations. An AETF unit in Eastern Europe continues to serve as a key transit
point for military and humanitarian relief operations headed to Iraq.
The majority of the staff relocated to Incirlik March 26, where they adopted the
name and mission of Combined Air Forces North, coordinating the operations of
coalition air forces in and above European and NATO countries for U.S. Central
Command's Combined Forces Air Component Commander, Lt. Gen. T. Michael Moseley.
Close coordination on thousands of OIF overflights of Turkey, which granted
permission after extensive political and diplomatic negotiations last month, and
the simultaneous redeployment of approximately 50 aircraft and associated
personnel assigned to Operation Northern Watch necessitated the move from Aviano
to Incirlik.
The move back to Aviano reunites the deployees with another 48 16th AETF staff
members who remained at the base to provide continuity and work logistical and
mission support issues essential to sustaining OIF operations.
To accomplish the task force's mission, approximately 80 active duty and Reserve
personnel deployed to augment the core staff of 100 personnel assigned to
Headquarters, 16th Air Force.
The staff was divided into five directorates supporting major functions
-manpower/personnel, intelligence, operations, logistics and communications
-plus coalition and sister-service liaison officers and staff members providing
advice on legal, public affairs, political, safety and force protection issues.
A separate Northern Operations Center provided the staff with a "window on
the war" to facilitate real-time coordination of operations.
Though the staff can take great pride in its role in bringing an end to the
regime of Saddam Hussein, the 16th AETF commander, Lt. Gen. Glen W. Moorhead
III, emphasized that the staff has important work ahead.
Moorhead said that, in addition to supporting continued air operations aimed at
providing humanitarian relief and ensuring a peaceful transition to democratic
rule in Iraq, the staff will be involved in redeploying the task force's
expeditionary units and other OIF forces through the European theater.
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