Services unite, leading logistics' way in Spain

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jimmy McGuffin
  • Detachment 6, Air Force News Agency
NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain (AFNEWS) --  The first two months of 2007 have been busy at Naval Station Rota. The task was to move over 100 Army helicopters to and from the Central Command theater using Air Force planes and Navy ships. With a mission this big, Rota's strategic location proved valuable.

"It's almost perfectly located between most of the locations downrange and the east coast of the United States," said Navy Lt. Mike Morley, Rota's public affairs officer. "It serves as the perfect halfway point for cargo, aircraft, ships, or anybody that's transiting between the two points."

Another strategic advantage is that Rota has both its port and its flight-line within the same fence.

"Anytime you leave the fence line with supplies or cargo, force protection becomes a larger issue," Lieutenant Morley said. "Rota is the only place that has everything all together in one convenient little package."

With security taken care of, the Air Force flew the helicopters to Rota aboard C-17 Globemaster IIIs. From there, Airmen worked alongside Soldiers to unload the assets and get them ready to load on a naval ship.

Col. Clayton Whitman, commander of the 725th Air Mobility Squadron at Rota, said the Air Force has the capacity to accomplish the mission, but the knowledge that the Army brings is a bonus.

"We could do it with just Airmen out there, but when you're talking about an Army move it's better to get the expertise straight from the Army units that fly those helicopters," Colonel Whitman said.

Once the helicopters are unloaded on the flightline, they are transported to the port where they are loaded on a vessel. Using multiple forms of transportation to move the aircraft has saved the Department of Defense several million dollars. It's the way of the future for logistical operations, Colonel Whitman said.

An operation like this where Army assets are moved with the help of the Air Force and Navy isn't unheard of at Rota, but it's the size of this mission that sets it apart.

The last of the helicopters were loaded Feb. 22 on Navy vessels and are headed to their final destination.

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