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Movement in and out of Guantanamo Bay is a process that involves lots of moving parts; to include aircraft, logistics, cargo, country clearances and more.
This complex movement of troops and equipment is partially run by the Air Operations Section of the JTF Operations Directorate (J3). The role of Army Staff Sgt. Tara Reppert, Air Operations NCO, is to be the liaison between JTF sections, NAVSTA Airfield, Port Authority and Coast Guard to get troops and equipment in and out of Guantanamo efficiently and safely.
“It’s not only being the liaison and dealing with the Naval Air Station but it’s working all the moving parts of the airfield and all the moving parts of the foreign governments, U.S. Transportation Command, contractors, and more,” Reppert said. “That all becomes really important when working a movement.”
Other responsibility of the Air Operations section is coordinating and approving Aircraft and Personnel Automated Clearance System (APACS) country clearances for Guantanamo Bay; coordinating the movement of units and equipment on and off the island; tracking flights for operational purposes; assisting flight crews and air traffic control operations during missions.
“It takes a lot of discussion, coordination, keeping people informed and maintaining good working relationships,” said Army Maj. Jeffrey Rosenberg, Future Operations OIC. “It’s a pretty good process we have with the Naval Air Station as far as the relationship [we coordinate] with Air Traffic Control, J1 (Manpower and personnel directorate), the terminal, security and even the dining facilities on the Leeward side.”
At the airfield, NAVSTA personnel are busy coordinating and putting all the processes in place to move Troopers, contractors and other Guantanamo Bay residents.
“On an average month, the air terminal processes 60 aircraft, 2,800 passengers, and 750,000 pounds of cargo, mail and equipment,” said Drew Lasseter, Naval Station Airfield Manager.
The coordination between the JTF and the airfield is extensive according to Lasseter. His team’s mission is to maintain a safe and operational airfield, ensure passengers are processed professionally, safely and as quickly as possible. Lasseter also added that ridership percentages spike to over 85 percent in late June and during the holidays which leads to some limited space-available flights during those time frames.
According to JTF operations personnel, they work diligently to get everyone on and off the island while always trying to make the process seamless.
“We help each other out a great deal. It can be stressful at times,” Reppert said. “Sometimes the biggest obstacle is dealing with all the different services, different rules and standards. It takes a lot of effort from everyone to accomplish our mission here. I am just a small part of a very large team.”
Passengers should plan early when traveling or bringing guests to GTMO. Reservations for leisure travel can be made by stopping by the Windward Air Terminal Annex located next to the Downtown Lyceum. For more information, call 6204 or 6408.
| Date Taken: | 06.19.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 06.19.2014 16:41 |
| Story ID: | 133703 |
| Location: | GUANTANAMO BAY , CU |
| Web Views: | 50 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Air operations: keeping troops and equipment moving, by Lt. Col. Jon Quinlan, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
