Delivering hope, fueling the fight, saving lives

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt Christopher Diaz
  • 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  What does an Icelandic volcano, a Russian wildfire and a wounded warrior have in common? The answer starts at Ramstein with a lean wing that makes a huge impact.

Organized into two groups, 12 squadrons and 16 detachments, the 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing is strategically located across Europe, Southwest Asia and Northern Africa. From overcoming a logistical nightmare of volcanic ash that closed European airspace last spring to assisting Russia in the face of wildfires last fall, the Airmen of the AMOW continue to expedite air mobility. Add in the daily mission of transporting wounded warriors from downrange, and you have only scratched the surface of their capabilities.

"Simply stated, our wing enables the Air Force's Rapid Global Mobility core function across three geographic areas," said Col. Kip Turain, 521st AMOW commander.

Famous for the Space Available flight options it provides to thousands of passengers each year, the wing's mission goes beyond simply shuttling aircraft to and from Europe.

"The AMOW partners with host nations to capitalize on providing a full spectrum of passenger, cargo, air refueling and aeromedical evacuation missions," said Colonel Turain. "(Our) units are tailored in size and capability as to what mix of our three core competencies we provide."

These competencies include command and control, aerial port operations and aircraft maintenance. These support the global mission of U.S. Transportation Command and Air Mobility Command, making it AMC's "Eastern Enterprise."

"When the Department of Defense receives the call to move equipment, supplies, the war fighter or assist in humanitarian aid and relief efforts, the DoD calls TRANSCOM who in turn energizes AMC, and specifically the AMOW," said Chief Master Sergeant William Sanders, 521st AMOW command chief.

From enabling the surge of 30,000 service members to Afghanistan, to most recently, supporting the delivery of the one millionth ton of Theater Direct Delivery cargo to U.S. Central Command, the AMOW continues to provide a vital daily lifeline to the war fighter.

"One of our consistent and largest priorities is supporting the fight downrange," said Chief Sanders. "It can be a challenge sometimes considering the other aspects of the mission we're responsible for, but our Airmen have continually gone above and beyond to get the mission done."

In the last quarter, TDD missions alone moved an average of 1,800 passengers and 550 tons of cargo daily. In the same quarter, the wing conducted more than 23,000 airlift departures and nearly 18,000 intra-theater movements.

To put the 521st AMOW's contributions in context, in 2010 the wing handled the same amount of departures as the Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans, La., hauled the equivalent amount of cargo as shipped out of the Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta, and Denver Airports - combined, and transported the same amount of passengers as the population of San Diego, Calif. The equivalent of AMC's entire C-17 fleet transits through Ramstein every ten days.

With providing this level of air mobility support around the globe, it's no surprise the AMOW is the major force provider for AMC.

"In 2010, the AMOW handled 34 percent of AMC's 119,755 departures, 56 percent of its 1,325,360,000 pounds of cargo and 49 percent of its 2,683,712 passengers worldwide," said Colonel Turain. "We're proud to say that we also operate the largest passenger terminal across the DoD."

Success is never achieved alone, and the AMOW's story is no different as they work with countless countries and installations across 28 geographically separated units.

"We couldn't achieve our mission without an exquisite partnership with host nations and host bases at all our locations, as evidenced by the 86th Airlift Wing right here at Ramstein," said Colonel Turain.

Totaling 3,000 Airmen, contractors and civilians positioned throughout Europe, Southwest Asia and Northern Africa, the AMOW is one of three wings headquartered at Ramstein.

While the wing has only been activated on Ramstein since Sep. 4, 2008, it has a storied history that dates back to 1942 when it was first established as the 555th Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion. Over the years the mission has evolved from providing radar coverage and navigational aid to the critical air transportation hub it is today.