U.S., international mobility airmen to participate in exercise

  • Published
  • By Bekah Clark
  • Air Mobility Command Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFNS) --  U.S. and international mobility airmen will come together Aug. 17 to 25 to participate in a Joint Readiness Training Center exercise with the Army Soldiers at Fort Polk, La.

Members of the 621st Contingency Response Wing from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.; aeromedical evacuation crews from Pope AFB, N.C.; MacDill AFB, Fla.; Lackland AFB, Texas; and March Air Reserve Base, Calif.; and aircrews from Hickam AFB, Hawaii; Belgium and Canada will directly support 5,000 Army troops "deployed" to an austere environment at Fort Polk. 

Their task is to provide airlift and airdrop capabilities, aeromedical evacuation, and bare-base set up and operations.

The exercise, being coordinated with the help of officials from Air Mobility Command Operations Directorate and 34th Combat Training Squadron from Little Rock AFB, Ark., gives mobility forces the opportunity to train side-by-side with sister services. The exercise also allows training with coalition partners in realistic exercise contingency environments before deployments.

"Our goal is to give aircrews their first five combat missions in as realistic an environment as possible, before their first deployment," said Lt. Col. Derek Waterman, director of operations for the 34th CTS.

AMC teams with international allies to establish and maintain mobility partnerships. Training and fighting with joint and coalition partners is key to operational success.