Introducing the Matadors of the 496th Air Base Squadron

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Ruehl Flores
  • 496th Air Base Squadron commander
MORON AIR BASE, Spain --  Are you tired of the snow and the cold weather? Has it been days since you've seen sunshine? The 86th Operations Group has a solution for you ... southern Spain.

So, now you're asking "What does the 86th Ops Group and southern Spain have in common?" The answer is Morón Air Base and the men and women of the 496th Air Base Squadron. Morón Air Base is on the Iberian peninsula, approximately 40 minutes southeast of Sevilla and is the home of the "Matadors."

These Airmen are tasked with ensuring the base is properly trained and equipped to meet all missions directed by the European Command or U. S. Air Forces in Europe. Due to Morón's strategic location, about half way between the CONUS and the Area of Responsibility, Air Mobility Command aircraft regularly transit to get fueled and for aircrew to get rest prior to continuing downrange or their long trip back to the CONUS.

Additionally, since Morón has the longest runway in USAFE and more than 5.25 million square feet of ramp space, Air Combat Command also sends their fighters through Morón when deploying and re-deploying their Air Expeditionary Force packages to and from the AOR.

Morón is a Spanish base and home to the 11th Eurofighter Wing. In addition, the 496th ABS partners with Vinnell/Brown and Root to execute Morón's portion of the Turkey/Spain base maintenance contract.

VBR is a private firm employing American and Spanish employees to maintain approximately 85 percent of the base infrastructure systems as well all the maintenance of the large airfield.

In addition to the military members and contractors, there are also more than 130 dependents who live and work on Morón. The base has its own Department of Defense Dependents School which offers curriculum for grades K-8th. There is also base housing, a theater, fitness center, and a small Navy exchange which all help make our small geographically separated unit feel more like home.

So next time you're shoveling mounds of snow to get your car out of the driveway, or are creeping slowly to Ramstein due to road conditions red, please remember the 800 plus personnel in southern Spain, working each day to ensure mission success and continue building partnership capacity. We're all part of Team Ramstein.