CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Charleston AFB Airmen and aircraft were key players in a mission that airlifted Georgian soldiers back to the Republic of Georgia earlier this week.
The 14th Airlift Squadron, currently deployed to Iraq as the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, along with the 4th Airlift Squadron from McChord AFB, Wash., airlifted approximately 2,000 Georgian troops from their deployed location in Iraq.
"The 816 EAS flew 11 missions to support the effort, and had things wrapped up within about 29 hours," said Lt. Col. "Buddy" Czubaj, 816 EAS commander. "We can not overstate the tremendous mission impact made by the Charleston maintainers out here in the 8th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron. This was definitely a surge operation and they met the challenge on every launch."
The squadron received notification from the 618th Tactical Airlift Control Center at Scott AFB, Ill., that they may be called upon to possibly begin the movement of the Georgian Coalition Forces in Iraq back to Georgia, in the wake of the conflict between their country and Russia, said Colonel Czubaj.
"The squadron operations team immediately began to place our crews into an alert posture to react to the potential mission," he said.
Once the squadron was alerted, Colonel Czubaj launched crews to begin loading the C-17 with Georgian soldiers and equipment for transport to Tbilisi, Georgia.
The U.S. previously committed to transportation of the troops when Georgia offered their participation in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The squadrons flew missions redeploying Georgian troops from Iraq to the Georgia capital, Tbilisi, on Aug. 10 and 11 after the Georgian government asked the U.S. for assistance. The redeployment operation spanned slightly more than 24 hours, said Gen. Arthur Lichte, commander of Air Mobility Command.
"Our airlift capability also allowed our nation to keep its promise to Georgia," said General Lichte. "When Georgia needed its troops at home, we were able to quickly provide the lift to get them there."
Operating in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan is already a challenging mission; aircrews are landing on dirt fields, conducting combat airdrops and moving high-level military and foreign dignitaries. However, this particular mission put the 816 EAS in uncharted territory.
"We were airlifting troops from the Central Command area of operations into the European Command theater," said Colonel Czubaj. "Based on a rapidly changing environment, our tactics and intelligence folks had their hands full building a solid plan to ensure the crews were ready, and they all performed magnificently. In addition to preparing our crews, we provided the concept of operations for the entire package, which included missions flown by the 817 EAS, also operating out of the Middle East."
The tactics and intelligence piece was critical in ensuring the safe return of the troops back to Georgia. Weapons and intelligence officers coordinated an in depth crew briefing to prepare the aircrews and Ravens for a full spectrum of contingencies they might encounter in such an unpredictable environment, he said.
Mobility Airmen have delivered medical supplies in two C-17s, providing humanitarian assistance to Georgians in need. Mobility forces are postured for continued humanitarian efforts, AMC planners said on Aug. 13.
"We have crews engaged to deliver supplies to those in need, and others on standby, ready to go at a moment's notice if called upon to go in and provide relief," said General Lichte.
"We've been called on to provide relief before; air mobility is a unique asset for our nation," said General Lichte, noting air mobility's role in providing aid to the besieged population of Berlin during the Berlin Airlift. Mobility forces have engaged in multiple relief efforts in the 60 years since that historic operation.
Command and control and coordination of the airlift effort is provided by the 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center at Scott AFB. The 618th TACC coordinates an average of 900 airlift and air refueling missions each day, and can seamlessly redirect aircraft to support requirements for contingency or humanitarian relief operations.
(Air Mobility Command public affairs contributed to this article)