Airmen enhance Ugandan humanitarian airlift capability

  • Published
  • By Maj. Paula Kurtz
  • 17th Air Force Public Affairs
ENTEBBE, Uganda (AFNS) --  Airmen from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and Army Reserve Soldiers from Nashville, Tenn., arrived in Uganda Aug. 25 to participate in a C-130 Hercules familiarization event with the Uganda peoples defense air force. 

The theater security cooperation initiative gives Ugandan forces a firsthand look at how the Air Force prepares for and conducts airdrop of humanitarian supplies during a crisis.

"Several years ago, the U.S. Air Force was able to support humanitarian relief efforts following severe flooding in Mozambique," said Maj. Jim Hackbarth, the deputy chief of policy, doctrine and senior leader engagements for 17th Air Force. "More recently, torrential rains and flooding in Uganda cut off thousands of Ugandan citizens from ground transportation of supplies, leaving aerial delivery as the only viable option."

That incident sparked the idea for a theater security cooperation mission. The Uganda peoples defense air force owns a civilian variant of the C-130  they use to move people and supplies. Ugandan defense force leaders wanted to explore the possibility of conducting their own humanitarian airdrops during emergencies or natural disasters, both nationally and throughout the region. 

"It just makes sense," Major Hackbarth said. "If they have the right equipment and are in the closest proximity to the affected area, then it makes sense for them to build that capacity within their force."

Working through the U.S. Embassy country team in Uganda, 17th Air Force officials started putting the pieces together for this event early in 2009. Once the basic concept was developed with the Uganda peoples defense air force, 17th Air Force officials sought out a C-130 unit to support the mission. In mid-July, the 86th Operations Group at Ramstein AB agreed to support the event with an aircraft and entire team of aircrew and maintenance personnel.

"As a (United States Air Forces in Europe) unit, we do these (theater security cooperation) events pretty regularly in Europe and Africa," said Capt. Brian Shea, a navigator assigned to the 37th Airlift Squadron at Ramstein AB and mission commander for this event.

"Each nation we engage with has a different challenge," Captain Shea said. "Ultimately, these events allow us to share information in both directions and build an air-focused relationship with partners throughout the U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command."

In the last 18 months, his unit has conducted theater security cooperation events in Botswana, South Africa, Algeria, Poland, Bulgaria and Israel.

"It's great to be out here doing something operational, and at the same time doing something unique," Captain Shea said. "We're always looking at how we can help the partner nation, but we always learn something along the way too."

(Look for more news on this event on Facebook at U.S. Air Forces Africa, or on the 17th Air Force Web site at http://www.17af.usafe.mil/index.asp.)