Ops never stops! Fairchild provides Global Reach from March ARB Published Sept. 13, 2019 By Airman 1st Class Ryan Gomez 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, Calif. -- Twelve Fairchild Air Force Base KC-135 Stratotankers have relocated to March Air Reserve Base to continue their Global Reach mission during Air Mobility Command’s premier exercise Mobility Guardian 2019 in September. Fairchild AFB is partnering with March ARB to continue training crews and executing global taskings while U.S. and international partners exercise MG ’19 at home station. “We have deployment taskings to fill and crews that need to be trained to fill those taskings,” said Lt. Col. Joshua Renfro, 384th Air Refueling Squadron director of operations. “By letting us come down here, [the 452nd Air Mobility Wing] has allowed us to continue that training mission so we can meet future deployment taskings with crews that are ready to go.” March ARB has presented opportunities for Mobility Airmen to gain new skills, as well. “This [temporary duty location] gives everyone a chance to lead. They’re going to need to think outside the box and use problem-solving skills to figure out how to get the same mission done with less equipment,” said Staff Sgt. Mason Cudd, 92nd Logistics Readiness Squadron air transportation technician. “They can bring that experience back to the unit; anytime something goes wrong at home station, they’ll now have the knowledge of a workaround to get it fixed correctly.” Fairchild aircrews are already accustomed to working in a Total Force environment working hand-in-hand with the Washington Air National Guard 141st Air Refueling Wing. Operating from March ARB has presented an opportunity to work closely with the Air Force Reserve component. “The 452nd AMW at March has welcomed us with arms wide-open,” Renfro said. “That builds trust, and having those relationships is key to operating in a comprehensive Air Mobility Command environment.” Team Fairchild’s mission is to provide responsive air refueling and agile combat support, which means Team Fairchild Airmen need to be ready for anything at any time. With the support of March ARB during AMC’s Mobility Guardian exercise, Fairchild Airmen and KC-135s will continue providing Rapid Global Mobility.
