Air Forces Africa Airmen share airdrop expertise with Ugandan forces

  • Published
  • By Maj. Paula Kurtz
  • 17th Air Force Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AFNS) --  Airmen of U.S. Air Forces Africa worked with Uganda peoples defense force members during a theater security cooperation event to show how humanitarian airdrop missions are conducted in late August at Entebbe Air Base, Uganda. 

With theater security cooperation events, American Airmen plan engagement events with partner nations around the continent to forge relationships, share knowledge and build capacity.

Theater security cooperation includes events such as senior leader engagements, exercises, conferences, and military-to-military familiarization. While planners at U.S. Air Forces Africa, the air component under U.S. Africa Command and also known as 17th Air Force, work daily to arrange these engagement events, it is units such as the 37th Airlift Squadron that ensure the planning bears fruit at the tactical level.

"We don't have assigned forces that we can draw from to execute these events," said Col. Don Kochanski, the director of plans and engagements for U.S. Air Forces Africa. "Once we have a basic plan in place, we have to request for forces through the Air Staff to find those Airmen who will travel to the continent to make it happen. In many cases, their TSC mission will also involve fact finding to help us get the 'ground truth' and gain a better idea of the partner nation's current capabilities so we can build better engagement plans in the future."

In this humanitarian scenario, heavy rains have caused the Nile River to overflow its banks and flood a village in central Uganda, cutting off citizens from food and medical supplies, and plans needed to be made to provide a humanitarian airdrop mission of relief supplies for the village.

Eighteen Airmen from Ramstein AB, Germany, and two Army Reserve Soldiers from Nashville, Tenn., travelled to Uganda Aug. 24 through 30 to execute just such a mission. The event included classroom discussion, hands-on familiarization, and a live C-130 Hercules airdrop mission.

"This course has come at a right time, when we need it most," said Uganda Col. Kaija Ham, the Entebbe AB commander. 

The ultimate goal of the Uganda peoples defense force is to be able to airdrop goods and equipment from their L-100 aircraft, which is the civilian equivalent of the military C-130. The familiarization event builds on previous training the Ugandan forces received under Phase I of the African Deployment Assistance Phase Training program. For three weeks in July, logisticians and paratroopers in the Uganda peoples defense force learned how to palletize cargo, conduct weight and balance measurements, inspect hazardous cargo, work with customs officials and approve packed goods for airdrop.

"Their knowledge base is excellent, and they have asked good questions," said Capt. Kevin Graham, a 37th Airlift Squadron pilot and deputy mission commander for the visit. "We want to show them what an airlift mission looks like in practice; all of the moving parts and coordination that goes into one mission."

To do that, the mission's team included pilots, navigators, flight engineers, loadmasters, aircraft maintenance members, a site-survey leader to identify and set up the drop zone and two Army staff sergeants from the 861st Quartermaster Company, Nashville Army Reserve, who are experts at "rigging" the parachutes that will ensure safe delivery of the humanitarian supplies.

For many of the Ugandan forces, the observation of the airdrop was their first ever flight on an airplane. As the cargo bay door opened in-flight in preparation for the drop, the Ugandan forces stood from their seats to see the landscape 800 feet below.

"You have teamwork and everyone is respected in their area," said Uganda peoples defense force Private Joseph Wabwire, a lubricants specialist. "Everybody does his part and in the end, the product is good."

To accomplish the mission, members of the 37th AS brought with them the wooden pallets, water barrels, honeycomb padding, and cargo straps needed for the live drop. 

As thankful as he is for the learning opportunity, Uganda peoples defense force Maj. George Nambafu said more help is needed to help meet their goal.

"As much as you give us knowledge, what we really need is equipment," he explained. "Even used equipment would be welcome. When you go and take these materials with you, we will have nothing to practice on. Knowledge without practice is not productive."