U.S. Air Forces Central, Baghdad Media Outreach Team

Story by Senior Airman Alyssa Miles

AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq – Members of the 532nd Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron have taken Senior Airfield Authority from their Marine and Navy counterparts at Al Asad, Nov. 1.

SAA responsibilities entail the management of runways, associated taxi ways, parking ramps, land and surrounding facilities.

According to Staff Sgt. Robert Hughes, 532nd EOSS non-commissioned officer in charge of airfield management operations, the Air Force is unique because of its specific mission with airfields. Additionally, Tech. Sgt. James Gross, 532nd EOSS deputy airfield manager, said the Air Force took over SAA responsibilities because, "that's what Airmen do, it's our core competency.

"Our career field is considered the gold standard for managing airfields," said Sergeant Gross, deployed from Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., and a native of New Bedford, Mass. "When it was decided that the Air Force would take over SAA at Al Asad, airfield management was one of the core functions that had to be brought to the base. We help to ensure that the Air Force could offer the safest possible operating environment for U.S. and coalition aircraft to operate from."

While the Air Force may have set the standard, Sergeant Hughes feels he has gained knowledge from his sister services.

"I've learned a lot," said the native of Colmesneil, Texas, who is deployed from Altus AFB, Okla. "They do a lot of things the same way except they use their terms. Instead of airfield, they'd call it a 'deck.' We'd have to use their terminology in order to contact the Navy's battle command group and the Marines' higher headquarters that we had to coordinate with. It takes a little while to learn their terminology."

At Al Asad, Hughes' job taskings are unique, as other airfields he's worked were completely under control when he arrived on station.

"For my first time to be involved with a team that is taking over or setting up an airfield, I think it's a great learning experience for me," he said. "I'm actually putting my training to use instead of going to another base where I already know the job and I'm just working it -- I'm actually building it here. At my previous job, I modified what the previous NCOIC had done, so I took their place and kept running what they already had. Here, I'm over the office operation and I write checklists and operating instructions for managing the airfield. We do so much it's hard to list everything at one time."

While the 532nd EOSS may not be front and center in combat, their role is just as crucial.

"Our job doesn't require us to go outside the wire and fight with the insurgents like the Marines do," Gross said, "but, if we didn't do our job correctly, when that helicopter comes in that's taking some of those wounded Marines out of the fight," it might not be able to land safely.

"One pebble can cause serious damage to an aircraft," he continued. "With our experience, we're able to contribute a lot to the fight by minimizing potential damage to aircraft. We do that by ensuring the airfield continues to maintain a safe flying environment for both fixed and rotary winged aircraft. It's more of a product of the schooling we go through and the attention to detail that the Air Force expects from us."

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