NATO Air Policing operations

U.S. Air Force News

  • AMC reactivates 18th Air Force

    The first major change in the Air Force’s organizational structure in more than a decade occurred here Oct. 1. During a formal ceremony, Air Mobility Command officials reactivated 18th Air Force, to lead the command’s global airlift, air refueling and aeromedical evacuation operations.During the

  • AMC reactivates 21st AF, realigns Numbered Air Force structure

    The NAF activation and command structure realignment allows AMC and subordinate units to achieve a more effective posture, diversify mission sets and better equip Airmen to project and sustain power at relevant speed, scale and distance in support of national strategic objectives.

  • AMC reduces costs through fuel efficiency

    Energy costs are a significant part of the Defense Department operating budget, and Air Mobility Command uses 54 percent of the U.S. military's consumption of aviation fuel. Not surprisingly, efficient use of this resource has always been an AMC goal, and while fuel costs remain high, command

  • AMC releases KC-135 accident investigation results

    Air Mobility Command officials here Dec. 20 released the results of its investigation into the Sept. 26 KC-135 Stratotanker and TU-154 Kyrgyz passenger plane accident at Manas International Airport in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic. The collision between the TU-154 and KC-135 was clearly an accident and

  • AMC relocates KC-135 simulator

    Air Mobility Command will relocate a KC-135 Stratotanker pilot simulator from McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, to Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Ohio, in an effort to maximize simulator utilization across the mobility enterprise.

  • AMC relocates KC-135 simulator

    As Air Mobility Command fields the KC-46A Pegasus, displaced KC-135 Stratotanker pilot simulators will be relocated across the Total Force to maximize simulator access across the mobility enterprise.

  • AMC reorganizing; activating 18th Air Force

    Gen. John W. Handy, commander of U.S. Transportation Command and Air Mobility Command here, announced a major reorganization of AMC. Key to the reorganization is the activation Oct. 1 of a new numbered Air Force with its headquarters here and the re-designation of AMC's two numbered air forces.

  • AMC response groups establish airfield operations for hurricane relief

    In support of massive relief operations to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, several elements of the Air Mobility Command Contingency Response Group deployed to Louisiana and Mississippi Aug. 30 and 31 to establish air mobility operations.On Aug. 30, a four-person assessment team from the 615th

  • AMC Rodeo competition evolves into Mobility Guardian exercise

    Air Mobility Command's first Mobility Guardian readiness exercise is planned for 2017, from July 30 - Aug. 12, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. The exercise will be one of the most realistic, real-world, scenario-driven exercises the command has ever undertaken, said Maj. Gen. Jerry

  • AMC sends pet shipping reminders

    It is the middle of the moving season, and it is important that people follow a few simple guidelines to have their cat or dog travel smoothly with them. Air Mobility Command has arranged a very liberal pet policy with the air carriers that fly the Patriot Express missions, said Master Sgt. Nikki

  • AMC simulator linking initiative making pilot training better

    Air Mobility Command is not only training its pilots, it's doing it better. The command is linking its aircraft training simulators through numerous bases to make a good flight crew an even better flight crew. This simulator linking initiative is part of an Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st

  • AMC stands up first contingency response wing

    Air Mobility Command stood up the Air Force’s first contingency response wing here March 1.The wing, which replaced the 621st Air Mobility Operations Group, expands the group's current mission and embeds all necessary capabilities, such as security forces, finance, intelligence and civil

  • AMC stands up first overseas wing

    Air Mobility Command officials will stand up a new wing June 5 as part of its en route structure in the Pacific. The 515th Air Mobility Operations Wing at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, will be the first wing AMC officials have established overseas since the command's formation in 1992. Supporting

  • AMC stands up new en route structure wing in Europe

    Air Mobility Command officials will stand up a new wing Sept. 4 as part of its en route structure in Europe. The 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, will become the headquarters for the existing 721st Air Mobility Operations Group at Ramstein AB, and the new 521st AMOG

  • AMC supporting Hurricane Gustav evacuation efforts in Louisiana, Texas

    In support of Hurricane Gustav humanitarian relief efforts, Air Mobility Command officials began positioning emergency personnel, equipment and aircraft Aug. 29 at various locations along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Command and control and coordination of the humanitarian airlift effort is provided by the

  • AMC supports air forces in Africa

    Air mobility Airmen are providing their experience and expertise to the Air Force's newest geographic combatant command, U.S. Africa Command, and its components with daily C-17 Globemaster III and C-130 Hercules airlift missions across the continent. "Intratheather airlift is fundamental to building

  • AMC supports humanitarian mission to Argentina

    Members of the 375th Logistics Readiness Squadron here June 12 loaded the 26,000-pound heart of a Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine onto a C-17 Globemaster III bound for Charleston Air Force Base, S.C. -- and ultimately Argentina. The MRI equipment was donated to a hospital in Salta, Argentina, by

  • AMC team assesses VPP implementation

    An Air Mobility Command team traveled to Charleston AFB April 14 to conduct a week-long assessment to start the implementation of the Voluntary Protection Program. "The VPP is an Occupational Safety and Health Administration program that recognizes organizations with superior performance in safety

  • AMC team wins top CSAF 'Team of Excellence' award

    The Air Mobility Command Electronic Flight Bag Team from Scott Air Force Base, Ill., won the 2012 Chief of Staff Team Excellence Award awarded by the Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III Nov. 28 at the Pentagon.Each year, since its inception in 1992, the Chief of Staff Team Excellence

  • AMC to relocate KC-135 simulator to Pittsburgh

    As Air Mobility Command fields the KC-46A Pegasus, displaced KC-135 Stratotanker simulators are being designated for relocation to improve efficiency and effectiveness across the total force mobility enterprise by maximizing flying hour cost avoidance through improved simulator access.

  • AMC Total Force provides hope to Haiti

    One day after an earthquake devastated the island nation of Haiti Jan. 12, Air Mobility Command Airmen along with its total force partners began operations to support the crippled nation.Since Operation Unified Relief operations launched, more than 10,000 AMC active-duty, Air Force Reserve and Air

  • AMC 'total force’ rushes to aid of trapped Russian sailors

    It was a total force effort by Air Mobility Command active-duty, Reserve and Air National Guard units in a long-distance rescue effort Aug. 5 to free seven Russian sailors trapped in a submarine 625 feet beneath the sea. The Russian sub became tangled in a fishing net Aug. 4 during a military

  • AMC transitions to MAFFORGEN

    AMC has begun its transition to the new Air Force Force Generation model to increase high-end readiness, improve predictability, and provide a more sustainable and consistent mobility force to meet force presentation requirements in the future fight.

  • AMC unveils new mission statement and focus areas

    This past June, I issued a call for all AMC personnel to "return to basics," and I thank you for the renewed attention you've given to our core values and our mobility mission while restoring the Air Force's good name with your daily, outstanding mission accomplishment. Today, we build on that

  • AMC uses alternate dispute resolution to solve conflicts

    Air Mobility Command officials here have taken significant steps to promote greater use of a program that has proven to be effective at resolving conflict, especially workplace disputes.The program, known as alternate dispute resolution, significantly reduces the dollars and hours expended annually

  • AMC vice commander addresses mobility in 21st century

    Lessons learned during the war on terror are reshaping the way Air Mobility Command wages war, said Lt. Gen. John R. Baker, AMC vice commander, during the Air Force Association’s 2004 Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition here Sept. 13.“(We need) the ability to go into an austere place,

  • AMC welcomes new commander

    Air Mobility Command changed leaders Aug. 11, as Gen. Carlton D. Everhart II assumed command from Gen. Darren W. McDew during a 10 a.m. ceremony at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.

  • AMC welcomes new commander

    Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost succeeded Gen. Maryanne Miller during the ceremony, officiated by Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr.

  • AMC welcomes new commander

    CSAF Gen. David W. Allvin presided over the event as Gen. John D. Lamontagne assumed command from Gen. Michael A. Minihan, who is retiring after 34 years of service.

  • AMC wing hits high marks for nuclear surety

    Air Mobility Command Airmen showed strong support for "reinvigorating the Air Force nuclear enterprise" through a command-level no-notice inspection recently. From Aug. 17 to 24, the AMC Inspector General officials completed a no-notice Limited Nuclear Surety Inspection, or LNSI, of the 62nd Airlift

  • AMC wings provide critical airlift role for Haiti earthquake victims

    Since relief operations began Jan. 13, Air Mobility Command aircraft have delivered more than 2,600 tons of cargo and nearly 5,300 passengers to Haiti as part of Operation Unified Response.The first humanitarian mission carrying food and water supplied by Charleston AFB's aerial port squadron

  • AMC, 463rd Airlift Group welcome first C-130J

    Gen. Duncan McNabb, Air Mobility Command commander, delivered the 463rd Airlift Group' s first combat-ready C-130J Hercules March 13. The aircraft will be used in combat operations around the world. "This is a big day for Little Rock and it is a big day for Air Mobility Command. I'm really excited

  • AMC, AFRC establish associate flying squadrons

    Air Force Reserve Command and Air Mobility Command are working to establish three active associate flying squadrons in 2010. About 500 active Airmen will associate with Air Force Reserve units at Keesler AFB, Miss.; March Air Reserve Base, Calif.; and Peterson AFB, Colo., by 2012. Lt. Col. Carlos

  • AMC, industry partner to enhance virtual training

    Canadian Aviation Electronics USA, the primary contractor for the KC-135 Stratotanker aircrew training system, recently received authorization to operate on the Air Force’s Distributed Training Center Network. KC-135 Stratotanker simulators will now be connected to other Air Force mobility platforms

  • AMC’s largest exercise, Mobility Guardian 2019 begins

    Mobility Guardian 2019 is set to be AMC’s largest full-spectrum readiness exercise to date. Forty-six U.S. aircraft will join aircraft from 29 international partners, along with more than 4,000 U.S. and international Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps aviators.

  • AMC’s longest flight: 24.2 hours in a KC-46A

    The KC-46 is Air Mobility Command’s newest aerial refueling platform, and now after completing the 24-hour flight, holds AMC’s record for the longest duration flight in its history.

  • AMC’s Phoenix Spark Tank competition recognizes innovation

    Air Mobility Command held its first-ever Phoenix Spark Tank competition at the Airlift/Tanker Association Symposium in Grapevine, Texas, where four finalists proposed their innovation ideas to top Air Force leaders and the president of VOX Space Oct. 26.

  • Amendment provision could put more money in spouse's paycheck

    Military spouses in states that collect state income taxes could be able to pocket a little more of their paycheck under an amendment that allows spouses to retain their legal residency in their home state.A November 2009 amendment to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act included a provision that

  • America must not be afraid to lead, Obama says

    The lesson of Libya is that America should not be afraid to lead, President Barack Obama said during a speech at the National Defense University March 29 here.The action to set up a no-fly zone and protect the Libyan people from Moammar Gadhafi says much about "the use of America's military power,

  • America pays tribute to 'Cap' Weinberger

    Caspar W. Weinberger's definition of happiness was "service to a noble cause," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said at the former defense secretary's funeral April 4. Secretary Weinberger died in Maine on March 28 at age 88. He was buried April 4 at Arlington National Cemetery. He served as

  • America remembers Desert One heroes

    America honored eight American servicemen April 25 who died attempting to rescue American hostages in Iran 25 years ago.A ceremony here brought together the families of those killed, their comrades and those servicemembers who carry on the special operations mission.In November 1979, Iranian

  • America Soars on Air Force Wings

    The United States of America depends on its Air Force to defend the population, deliver global effects and jointly accomplish national objectives to an extent unseen in the history of mankind. In my 35 years of service, many things have changed. Yet, what has remained constant is the extraordinary

  • 'America Supports You' links American public with the troops

    Department of Defense officials launched a nationwide program, America Supports You, and Web site to showcase the many activities taking place across the nation in support of the troops. The Web site, which highlights organizations and individuals coordinating local and national support efforts,

  • 'America Supports You' marks first anniversary

    One year ago this week, the Defense Department launched "America Supports You." This program showcases the nation's support for its men and women in uniform and the many ways citizens are expressing that support. Today, what began as a six-month campaign, has snowballed into a full-fledged effort

  • America Supports You site features videos for children

    Proud military parents deployed in support of the war on terrorism are featured on the America Supports You Web site devoted to April's Month of the Military Child. Messages from nearly 50 servicemembers can be found on the link "Video Greetings from Troops to Their Military Kids" at

  • America Supports You: eCarePackage Program available

    Americans interested in sending Valentine's Day-themed care packages to a servicemember or military family can do so through Operation Homefront's eCarePackages.org Program. Operation Homefront is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program highlighting ways Americans and the

  • America Supports You: Send packages to troops, families

    Just in time for the holidays, Operation Homefront has launched "eCarePackage," an online service that allows citizens to send care packages to deployed troops and their families. Operation Homefront is part of CinCHouse.com, a community for military wives, and is a team member of America Supports

  • America, France pay tribute to airborne heroes

    As the United States and France paid tribute to those killed in airborne operations during the Normandy invasion, everyone was brought close to tears and every person's chest swelled with pride here June 5.Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, saluted the World War II

  • America’s B-1B Lancer takes to Russian sky

    Because of its ability to rapidly deliver massive quantities of weapons against any adversary in the world, the capabilities of America’s B-1B Lancer may have once been feared by the former Soviet Union during the Cold War.Now it is demonstrating its capabilities during the Moscow International

  • America’s cryptologic wing develops cyberspace warriors

    As one of Air Combat Command’s integral assets, the 70th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing is home to several types of cyberspace warriors, including the exploitation analysts (EA) of the 41st Intelligence Squadron.

  • American air forces participate in Exercise Cooperacion 1

    The air forces of 12 countries of the Americas participated in an exercise aimed at using multinational air assets from SICOFAA member nations (Sistema de cooperacion de las Fuerzas Aerias de las Americas) in support of humanitarian civic assistance missions, Oct. 4 to 14 in Chile.The Cooperation 1

  • American Airman teaches Iraqi air force cadets

    Teaching leadership in a foreign land was never part of his career plan, but that's exactly what Capt. Tom Fiordelisi has been doing for the last 12 months at a forward operating base near Baghdad. Captain Fiordelisi served as commandant of cadets for ROTC Det. 630 at Kent State University in Ohio

  • American Airmen video contest winner announced at AFA

    The American Airmen Video Contest is over and the votes are in, the winner of the video contest is Air Mobility Command finalist Tech. Sgt. Brian Williams, 87th Security Forces Squadron at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, his video received 1,814 votes.

  • American Attitude strikes music industry chord

    When the band American Attitude formed four years ago, the members just wanted to fill some empty seats at their NCO club on drill weekends.The guardsmen from the Florida Air National Guard's 125th Fighter Wing thought their hard-rock cover band would provide some much-needed entertainment at the

  • American C-17 airlifts Iraqi child to Hungarian hospital

    Medics from the 379th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron helped airlift a 13-year-old Iraqi to Budapest, Hungary, recently.A dozen crewmembers aboard a C-17 Globemaster III helped transport Abbas Jabbar, who was injured last month when he ran in front of a Hungarian convoy patrolling near

  • American Cancer Society marks 35th Great American Smokeout

    The American Cancer Society marks the 35th Great American Smokeout Nov. 18 by encouraging smokers to either quit smoking or make a plan to quit. According to an American Cancer Society report, smokers who quit, regardless of age, tend to live longer than people who continue to smoke. Smokers who

  • American citizenship: One Airman's dream becomes reality

    A contracting specialist from the 92nd Contracting Squadron here fulfilled his dream of becoming an American Airman -- literally, March 27 when a Spokane, Wash., judge swore him in as a legal citizen."The most important thing about citizenship for me is that I can finally get a secret clearance to

  • American Eagle flies in Swiss sky

    The F-15 Eagle West Coast Demonstration Team from the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., thrilled nearly 400,000 people at the Air 04 air show here Sept. 4 and 5.This is the first time in more than 12 years there has been an air show in Switzerland, and air show officials said this is

  • American engineers conduct quality assurance training in Afghanistan

    Khost Provincial Reconstruction Team engineers conducted quality assurance training for more than 30 Afghan contractors, foremen and engineers at the Civil-Military Operations Center in downtown Khost, Afghanistan recently.The engineers conduct monthly training to address issues found during project

  • American families tour Transit Center

    New U.S. Embassy employees and their families traveled from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to tour the Transit Center Aug. 20 to learn more about the installation's missions and capabilities.More than a dozen children excitedly took turns lying in a KC-135 Stratotanker boom, sitting in a C-17 Globemaster III

  • American forces join Qatari basketball league

    Varsity basketball and history are in the making here, and the host nation’s king may be the reason why.The newly formed American Forces basketball team, made up of servicemembers in the area, will play a Qatari army team in the nation’s capital city, Doha on Nov. 9. The game will mark the first

  • American forces unearth hidden aircraft in Iraq

    American forces have found Russian fighter jets buried in the Iraqi desert, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in an Aug. 5 press briefing. "We'd heard a great many things had been buried, but we had not known where they were, and we'd been operating in that immediate vicinity for weeks and

  • American hospital in Afghanistan holds health fair

    The Staff Sgt. Heathe N. Craig Joint Theater Hospital here opened its doors June 13 to highlight a number of services available to servicemembers in the regional command east area of operations. In an event that involved weeks of planning, the hospital staff came together to construct unique

  • American Idol meets American Military at 301st FW

    The 301st Fighter Wing's main hangar was turned into something akin to a Hollywood movie set July 20 as the 11 contestants from last season's "American Idol" television show arrived here to film a public-service announcement for Air Force Reserve Command Recruiting Service.The recruiting service

  • American Indian business ‘proud provider’ to Uncle Sam

    During the War of 1812, a group of American Indians living in Alabama supported the United States in that war against Great Britain. Today, Poarch Creek Indians in Atmore, Ala., own and work in a company whose products find their way to Air Force warfighters.The tribal-owned small business, whose

  • American infants receive special gifts from 'hidden grandma'

    An 82-year-old woman from Benwick, England, fills a grandmotherly role to infants born to servicemembers here, even though she has never met a single baby she serves.With no other ties to the tri-base area of Royal Air Forces Alconbury, Molesworth and Upwood, England, or the U.S. military, Queenie

  • American Language Course graduates first class

    Eighteen Iraqi airmen have accomplished one of the top training requirements for the Iraqi air force -- learning the English language. These airmen were the first to graduate from the American Language Course during a ceremony here Sept. 10. Because English is the international language for

  • American medical advisers guide Iraqi army back into patients' trust

    American medical advisers at Camp Ur are helping Iraqi army members run a clinic efficiently here as well as getting Iraqi soldiers to use the medical care available to them. Camp Ur boasts a fully functioning medical clinic complete with a three-bay emergency room, pharmacy, dentist, radiology

  • American peacekeepers helping families in Kosovo

    Their eyes have lost their luster. And their vacant and distant stares are enough to melt even the coldest heart. The people in Kosovo yearn for life’s most basic needs, silently crying for help from anyone who will hear them. But their silent cry has not gone unnoticed. The Airmen, Soldiers, Marine

  • American pilots of yesteryear visit Kunsan, rekindle Korean War memories

    Men who soared across Korea's skies more than 54 years ago visited here Sept. 11 during a return trip to the Land of the Morning Calm. It is at this base where the past meets head on with the present. Today's Airmen continue the legacy set forth by these veterans of the Korean War. The Forgotten

  • American Red Cross aids military relief effort at Homestead

    American Red Cross officials are providing support to thousands of evacuees from Haiti at a processing center here in support of Operation Unified Response, the U.S. military's Haitian relief effort. "We are providing for two sites here, one for evacuees and another for the aircrews flying them in,"

  • American servicemembers aid Iraqi communications

    Multinational Security Transition Command-Iraq directorate of communications officials in Baghdad currently are using Air Tasking Order concepts to shape the cyber battlefield for the Iraqi government. "We are trying to help people build a nation and create national self-sufficiency," said Col.

  • American servicemembers bridge gap between Afghan provinces, relationships

    Afghan nationals and coalition forces gathered at the Arghandab District Center prior to an opening ceremony of a symbolic bridge Dec. 26, in the Zabul province.  Village elders from the surrounding area were dressed in their traditional garments and sat with their shoes lining the outer edge of the

  • American servicemembers build ties at Singapore air show

    American servicemembers and aircraft participated in both static displays and aerial demonstrations at Singapore Airshow 2010and aircraft Asia's largest air show and one of the top three aerospace and defense exhibitions in the world started here Feb. 2.U.S. Pacific Command Airmen's participation in

  • American servicemembers continue to provide promise

    The poverty-stricken neighborhoods of this bustling port capital of Trinidad and Tobago where crime, drug abuse and murder are facts of everyday life is not a place likely to attract American visitors. But for 15 engineers from the 5th Civil Engineer Squadron's Prime BEEF, along with a handful of

  • American servicemembers deploy to Costa Rica

    More than 600 patients were seen during a two-day medical readiness training exercise Dec. 18 and 19 in Costa Rica by Joint Task Force-Bravo American servicemembers from Soto Cano, Honduras. The team, made up of 28 Airmen and Soldiers spent two days in the village of Piedra Mesa operating a

  • American servicemembers help Afghans make strides

    Some Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul military members will soon prepare to travel back to their duty stations after assisting their Afghan partners with improvements in Zabul province communities.Over the course of 10 months, the collective staff completed more than 65 projects, totaling more

  • American servicemembers help bring education to Afghan community

    The American Provincial Reconstructive Team in Zabul and 451st Air Expeditionary Wing leaders joined the provincial governor and community leaders as they gathered for the ribbon-cutting ceremony Feb. 25 of the newly-built all-boys Sheik Mati High School and dormitory here. The 240-bed facility will

  • American servicemembers in Afghanistan break ground for new high school

    Members of the Air Force-led Zabul Provincial Reconstruction Team along with senior Afghan government officials and community leaders, celebrated the ground-breaking of a new high school for girls during a ceremony here Oct. 22. The school will be the first of its kind in the town of Shajoy, which

  • American servicemembers mentor Afghan maintainers

    American servicemembers are mentoring the Afghan national army's 205th Maintenance Corps to keeping its fleet of more than 1,300 vehicles operational at Forward Operating Base Hero in Afghanistan. Capt. Eric McGreevy and Army Staff Sgt. Mark Reynolds of the U.S. maintenance mentoring team here train

  • American servicemembers provide battlefield forensics

    When an improvised explosive device is detected, most people run and take cover but the weapons intelligence team here heads to the site to start the crime scene investigation. The Airmen, Soldiers and Sailor of the weapons intelligence team provide counter IED intelligence through collection,

  • American servicemembers respond to overturned fuel tanker

    Firefighters, medics and security forces from Joint Task Force-Bravo here provided mutual aid assistance to the Comayagua Fire Department Friday when a fuel tanker overturned on C.A. 5 highway approximately 8 kilometers north of the base. The tanker, carrying 11,000 gallons of butane gas, hit a

  • American servicemembers take reconstruction to new level

    American military members helped with about $8 million worth of construction projects in the Nangarhar Province in the last two years here to improve security and to help rebuild the region in Afghanistan. Almost $40 million worth of U.S. military-funded construction is ongoing in the province as

  • American servicemembers visit Honduran military academy

    A group of U.S. Airmen and Soldiers from here gained insight into the Honduran military training academy and saw firsthand how the institution prepares candidates for service in the Honduran army April 16 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Academy staff and instructors welcomed the servicemembers from Soto

  • American servicemembers, helicopters deploy to Haiti

    Joint Task Force-Bravo officials deployed 40 servicemembers, four UH-60 Blackhawks and equipment March 21 and 22 in support of Joint Task Force-Haiti's airlift operations in Haiti.Four C-17 Globemaster IIIs landed and were loaded during a three-day period to airlift more than 180,000 pounds of

  • American surgical team making a difference in southern Philippines

    Five Airmen are operating a fully-equipped trauma center, providing emergency care, basic medical care and educational services to hundreds of Filipino and U.S. troops on the southern island of Jolo, Philippines. The Air Force members are part of the forward surgical team assigned to Joint Special