USAFE team supports nations contributing troops

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WROCLAW, Poland (AFPN) --  The most recent mission rotating Polish, Latvian, Lithuanian and Ukrainian combat forces to and from the Polish-led sector in Iraq landed at Strachowice Air Base here Aug. 12.

A seven-person team from U.S. Air Forces in Europe converged in June to embark on a two-month mission supporting the rotation of combat forces into the sector and other locations supporting the war on terrorism. The team formally called the European Command Deployment Cell was led by Maj. Rich Fillman from the 65th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Lajes Field, Azores.

The cell supported 61 airlift missions rotating 6,956 combat forces and 2,342 tons of baggage and cargo into both the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters supporting operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

Major Fillman worked with Polish officials in Warsaw on logistical aspects relating to the missions. The cell was formed to better support and coordinate rotating forces into Iraq with the Polish general staff, he said.

“This was a good example of a partnership that is helping to create force-projection capabilities among some of the newer NATO nations,” Major Fillman said.

Besides the troop movements that originated and ended in the Polish cities of Gdansk, Krakow and Wroclaw, the team supported several other European troop-contributing nations. It supported missions in Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Hungary, Lithuania, Moldova, Romania and Slovakia.

The cell’s aerial port team chief, Tech. Sgt. Brent Von Aschen, became a frequent flyer between Poland and Bulgaria. He is from the 86th Air Mobility Squadron at Ramstein AB, Germany. Sandwiched between the Polish missions, Sergeant Von Aschen supported six airlift missions in Plovdiv and Sofia, Bulgaria. A total of 900 Bulgarian combat forces rotated in the Iraqi theater.

In December, 25 people of the Polish movement control team received training on moving hazardous material and cargo load planning. Since receiving the training, the Polish team has been activated to rotate troops in January and during the current rotation.

“From my first contact with the Polish team, they were open and eager to learn any helpful idea to expedite the missions,” Sergeant Von Aschen said. “With each mission, they applied lessons learned from the previous missions. The last three missions at Gdansk were handled completely by the Polish (team).

“On the second to last mission, one of the Polish (team) members told me I didn’t have a job here anymore,” he said. “This clearly displayed the confidence they had in their ability to properly (load) troops onto an aircraft.”