Ramstein Air Base, Germany - -- U.S. Air Force Gen. Mike Minihan, commander of Air Mobility Command, and Chief Master Sgt. Brian Kruzelnick, AMC command chief, visited 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing Airmen at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Feb. 1 - March 1, 2023, to see how the wing connects, projects, maneuvers and sustains the joint force in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
The AMC command team kicked off their visit with a walkthrough of the 721st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 721st Mobility Support Squadron, 721st Aerial Port Squadron, 721st Air Mobility Operations Group and the 521st AMOW headquarters.
In addition to seeing the mission up close, the command team had the opportunity to meet with squadron leadership of all nine geographically separated 521st AMOW units to learn more about their unique missions and challenges.
Airmen assigned to the 521st AMOW briefed the AMC command team on recent operational accomplishments including the evacuation of Afghanistan during Operation Allies Refuge in 2021; support provided for NATO partners and allies following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; Operation Fly Formula in 2022; and recent humanitarian efforts in Türkiye following the earthquake that occurred February 2023.
“Do not underestimate how your global footprint and air mobility support system will be a defining factor of our nation’s victory,” said Minihan. “The 521st AMOW enables the joint force to own the speed of maneuver and dominate the tyranny of distance.”
On the second day of the visit, Minihan held an all-call where he emphasized AMC’s strategy to win, reviewed the Mobility Manifesto the command published in October 2022, and reinforced the urgency for personal and unit readiness.
“Readiness is the key,” Minihan said. “That investment needs to happen now. Our biggest challenges can be surmounted by just being ready … to where your readiness is the deterrent.”
The AMC command team then took time to recognize 10 Airmen and teams of the 521st AMOW who recently won AMC and U.S. Air Force level awards.
After recognizing their distinguished efforts, the immersion culminated with Minihan and Kruzelnick meeting with various AMC mission partners, including U.S. Air Forces Europe-Air Forces Africa, Third Air Force and the 86th Airlift Wing.
“The 521st AMOW mission goes way beyond the Ramstein fences,” Minihan said. These Airmen are pre-positioned across three theaters and 5,000 miles to provide AMC global access it needs to maneuver the joint force. I can’t understate how important the en route is to the AMC mission and how proud I am of the work being done in this wing.”
The 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing is assigned to the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center, Air Mobility Command, with headquarters at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and its mission is to provide agile, resilient and reliable air mobility operations through en route aircraft maintenance, aerial port operations, command and control, aircrew support functions and inter-theater aeromedical evacuation.