618th AOC supports effort delivering hope to Turkey

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Marshel Slater
  • 618th Air and Space Operations Center (Tanker Airlift Control Center) Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFNS) --  Mobility Airmen of the 618th Air and Space Operations Center (Tanker Airlift Control Center) here led planning efforts for an Oct. 31 flight bringing humanitarian assistance to Turkey.

In the wake of the Oct. 23 earthquake that left hundreds dead in the Western Asian nation, a C-17 Globemaster III from the 62nd Airlift Wing at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., carried a 75,000-pound load of tents from Norway for movement to Erzurum Airport, Turkey.

Command and control coordination of all Air Mobility Command's humanitarian airlift efforts are provided by the 618th AOC. Flights are planned, scheduled and executed based on validated mission requirements sent down from U.S. Transportation Command.

"Nearly 900 mobility missions fly around the world daily," said Brig. Gen. Dewey Everhart, the 618th AOC commander. "Our planning and execution teams can seamlessly redirect any of those missions to support emerging requirements for both crisis response and humanitarian relief operations."

The tents will provide earthquake survivors with shelter from the cold weather as recovery efforts continue. The tents are six-sided pyramidal-shaped shelters that can comfortably house up to 10 people plus their clothing and equipment. The tent's wind, mildew and fire-resistant materials ensure the warmth and dryness of the occupants even in frigid temperatures.

Members of the 603rd Air and Space Operations Center at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, also planned and executed five C-130 Hercules airlift missions that carried additional supplies requested by the government of Turkey.

"This is what mobility is all about, it's what we do," Everhart said. "We enable our nation to reach out anywhere in the world within hours to provide hope in all forms, even tents. It's a great responsibility that the 618th AOC is honored to carry."

The 618th AOC is responsible for planning, scheduling, tasking and executing AMC forces in support of America's national defense interests through three core capabilities: airlift, aerial refueling and aeromedical evacuation.