Travel into Iraq easier with 'Express' ticket

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Paul A. Fazzini
  • Air Mobility Command Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFPN) --  When planning a business trip, most people do not just jump in the car and drive. They plan their trip carefully to ensure they reach their intended destination safely and on time.

Servicemembers traveling into and out of the Iraqi theater of operations must do the same, according to Sharon Boynton, the deputy director of global channel operations at the tanker airlift control center here.

When people receive travel orders, one of their first stops should be their installation transportation office, Boynton said. This helps ensure they can travel on an Air Mobility Command “Patriot Express” commercial mission.

"The problem, however, is that many people know there are military aircraft moving cargo to a theater location and believe they can just show up to a port like Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and get on a flight. Our number one priority, in AMC, is movement of warfighter sustainment cargo," she said.

Combatant commanders may request channel validation for three types of movement: cargo, passenger, or both cargo and passenger. It is important for Iraq-bound travelers to understand why there may not be space offered for passenger movement on an aircraft headed in their direction, she said.

"Currently, there are no validated passenger missions from Ramstein directly into Iraq," said Boynton, "only cargo missions. The combatant commander's priority is movement of sustainment cargo. When passengers ride on military aircraft, there is less space available to move palletized cargo and vehicles. If the theater commanders decided direct passenger movement outweighed the requirement for the cargo, they would request a passenger mission validation. AMC (officials) could react to that in 48 hours or less."

To help alleviate the need to create new missions validated for passengers, and to avoid a backlog of weary passengers, U.S. Central Command officials directed the Patriot Express as the preferred travel mode through Al Udeid, Qatar, and Kuwait to get to Iraq, according to Brig. Gen. Paul J. Selva, the TACC’s commander.

"If you are bound for a destination in Iraq, plan your travel with your installation transportation officer as early as possible for booking on a Patriot Express mission to a theater hub location,” Selva said.

If space-required travelers attempt to travel outside the Patriot Express route structure, they are using 'space-available' procedures to circumvent the approved system, he said.

"Our priority at our large cargo ports is movement of (supplies and equipment) to deployed forces. Personnel traveling to duty in Iraq shouldn't expect a seat on cargo aircraft if their travel will cause AMC to bump cargo to accommodate passenger-seat configuration,” he said.

The Patriot Express system enables deploying people to travel aboard a commercial aircraft leaving the United States from Seattle, Atlanta or Baltimore, as well as aircraft leaving from Frankfurt, Germany. Passengers then proceed to Kuwait or Qatar where they will board a military aircraft headed into the Iraqi theater.

There are no AMC-contracted commercial aircraft flying directly into Iraq because of the existing security threat, according to Boynton.

"Currently, AMC-controlled aircraft flying into Iraq must be military aircraft equipped with defensive systems," she said. "Until the threat to aircraft is addressed, that policy will stay in place."

However, with all the military aircraft flying in and out of the Iraqi theater, many travelers still wonder why they cannot jump on board. The answer, according to Selva, is easily explained.

"Our primary focus remains support and sustainment of U.S. and coalition forces deployed to Iraq," said Selva. "We have dedicated much of our military airlift fleet to that mission. The theater depends on AMC to maximize space on military aircraft for delivery of essential supplies and equipment. We at AMC will continue to work the balance between the movement priority of sustainment cargo and duty passengers into Iraq and the (U.S. Central Command) area of operations." (Courtesy of AMC News Service)