AMC forces poised to support humanitarian operations in Japan

  • Published
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFNS) --  Air Mobility Command forces are poised to support relief operations in Japan after the earthquakes and resulting tsunamis that have struck the nation, according to AMC officials. 

Numerous AMC aircraft and crews have been placed on alert, according to officials, positioning forces to take-off within hours of receiving the call to support the humanitarian relief effort.

Both tanker and airlift aircraft are included in the alert posture. Forces from the 615th Contingency Response Wing at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., also are poised to deploy to quickly, and open and operate airfields to receive and off-load humanitarian relief supplies.

Mission planning and command-and-control for the AMC portion of the humanitarian effort will be led by AMC's Tanker Airlift Control Center here. As AMC's hub for global operations, the TACC staff plans, schedules and directs a fleet of nearly 1,300 mobility aircraft in support ofstrategic airlift, air refueling and aeromedical evacuation operations around the world.

In addition to supporting U.S. warfighters in Iraq and Afghanistan, AMC's global mission includes humanitarian airlift in response to global events, such as is the case with supporting relief operations in Japan.