435th AMS provides unique ‘open the base’ capability

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Grovert Fuentes-Contreras
  • 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  Transforming an abandoned airfield, or even an austere piece of land, into a functional airfield in 12 hours might seem impossible to some, but it's just another day's work for Ramstein's 435th Air Mobility Squadron Airmen.

Keep in mind, for the airfield to be "functional," that includes ensuring command and control, aerial port operations, aerospace ground equipment, communications and maintenance capabilities are all up and running.

Part of the 435th Air Ground Operations Wing headquartered at Ramstein, the 435th AMS rapidly deploys light and lean cross-functional mobility teams to establish first-in expeditionary airfield operations.

If the mission alone isn't unique enough, there are numerous qualities inherent to the squadron that makes them stand out. One in particular is the variety of career fields, from loadmasters to communications support to aircraft maintainers, that must work together to gain mission success.

The squadron consists of 70 personnel with 21 different Air Force specialty codes; however each mission dictates the number of personnel and amount of cargo necessary to achieve the task.

"Being a part of the AMS, you get to see what other AFSCs do to build a base from ground up," said Master Sgt. Rodney Anthony, 435th AMS aircraft maintenance flight chief. "Nothing is more impressive than going [to a place] where there is nothing, and within 24 hours, we have personnel already working to set-up an operating base."

As part of the overall "open the base" mission of the 435th Contingency Response Group, the AMS is a quick-reaction unit for U.S. Air Forces in Europe. Some recent examples of their work include providing primary base support for the 2009 Medical Exercise in Central and Eastern Europe in Serbia, or MEDCEUR; but also the Israel off-station trainer in December, and the recent annual bilateral training exercise in Bulgaria, Operation Thracian Spring.

In addition to supporting various exercises in the region, the unit also plays a vital role in support to the warfighter.

"Our mission is unique because we have the capability to immediately respond to a crisis within the AOR," said Maj. Leo Gage, 435th AMS director of operations. "We are an organization with a diverse skill set and even send our own Airmen with special operations personnel for exercises to better prepare them for expeditionary combat support to Operations IRAQI and ENDURING FREEDOM."

With such job diversity in the squadron, it also gives Airmen the opportunity to acquire knowledge from each other.

"Having just arrived here, I've realized we are so broad and diverse with an impressive mission," said Capt. Jason Powell, 435th AMS logistics support maintenance officer. "I'm still a maintenance officer, but I'm going to be well rounded when I leave here. I'm going to have a better understanding of the whole Air Force mission, which is going to make me a better Airman."

One more piece that makes the 435th AMS special is having airborne-qualified Airmen, something which helps them accomplish the mission when an area needs to be surveyed to set up landing capabilities.

"The combined 435th AGOW and 86th Airlift Wing operational readiness exercise scenario in January successfully exemplified the CRG capability to conduct airborne operations and insert an assessment team into an airfield to perform the 'open the base' capability," Major Gage said.

Never a dull moment, the unit's vision for the future is to continue to lead the way in contingency and mobility operations. And with these Airmen, the mission never truly stops.

"From the time we get called, to wheels off the ground is only 12 hours," Sergeant Anthony said. "We are working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year on standby, and we have 12 hours to have our equipment and personnel ready to go and wheels off the ground. That is just phenomenal."