FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- Air Mobility Command’s responsibility is to provide Rapid Global Mobility for America through airlift, air refueling, aeromedical evacuation and air mobility support across the globe.
With the world’s largest fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers, Fairchild has an integral part in fulfilling AMC’s mission. Aside from the primary mission of air refueling, another tasking the KC-135 is commonly given is moving cargo. Team Fairchild’s Logistics Readiness Squadron Airmen practice quick cargo deployment often to execute air mobility support.
“We are working to guarantee all of our people are able to complete their tasks and provide training to new arrivals with a monthly rotation of cargo throughout different units,” said Senior Master Sgt. Shawn Cain, 92nd LRS’s Deployment and Distribution Flight superintendent.
The 92nd LRS partners with members from the 92nd Medical Group, 92nd Maintenance Group, 92nd Operations Group and 92nd Mission Support Group in Continuous Process Improvement efforts to refine the Cargo Deployment Function line.
The CDF is a process for deploying gear in a standard and efficient way. Fairchild’s 92nd LRS constantly looks for ways to improve that process.
“We have found multiple areas within the CDF process to implement countermeasures to make processes more efficient,” said Ricky Brown, 92nd LRS Installation Transportation officer.
Fairchild has improved the process by incorporating increment monitors, and the cargo they are responsible for, into their monthly training. Increment monitors are specifically-trained personnel within each unit who properly manage, prepare, secure and document a given set of cargo for AMC deployments.
“We conduct increment monitor training three times per month to ensure each unit is able and ready to provide appropriate cargo during practical application in the CDF,” Brown said. “These are necessary to prepare increment monitors who work with cargo ranging from medical supplies to more difficult equipment requiring cleaning and additional hazardous declaration documentation.”
The continued focus on maintaining full spectrum readiness has improved equipment and tactics used to avert complex threats.
“Full spectrum readiness can be seen as only chemical protective equipment, but our installation sees it as being all encompassing, from [increment monitors] who prepare cargo for deployment and boom [operators] who load cargo, to post-attack reconnaissance teams conducting sweeps,” Brown explained.
It is essential to mission success for Airmen from each moving piece of the CDF line to exercise their crucial role in the event of a mass deployment to meet operational requirements and warfighter needs.
“When a unit is not ready, it affects the entire process,” Cain said. “In real world missions, if the cargo is late, it can cause our KC-135 Stratotanker to miss a tasking for refueling, in turn, affecting operations downrange.”
The Air Force uses training as the foundation for everything it does. Fairchild trains Airmen for any mission they may be tasked with and wherever it takes them, going far beyond the radius of air refueling to accomplish Rapid Global Mobility.