Photo By Maj. Tiffany Collins | U.S. and Jordanian personnel unload a Jordanian UH-60 Black Hawk from a U.S. C-17 at...... read more read more
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HASHEMITE KINGDOM OF JORDAN – Standing on the landing zone at King Faisal Airbase, I relayed my apprehension about writing this particular article to the Commander of the Joint Special Operations Air Component - Central Col. Leslie Babich, responsible for the coordination for the C-17 strategic airlift. She reassured me by saying “history always writes itself.”
Shortly after our exchange and very close to a new day, crew members assigned to the 30th Squadron, 5th Aviation Brigade, Jordan Special Operations Command met all of the necessary requirements for the successful execution of a long range strategic airlift for infiltration of two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, May 14.
The training objectives were separated into two main functions: Forward Arming and Refueling Point Operations (FARP) and Strategic Air Deployment. Crewmembers prepared and deployed the FARP system, consisting of two blivets both containing 450 gallons of fuel onto a Royal Jordanian Air Force C-130 aircraft, and upon landing returned the FARP to its operational status. Additionally, they prepared two UH-60 helicopters for strategic air deployment onto an United States C-17, downloaded and reconfigured the birds for follow-on operations.
No small task for anyone, but an exceptional feat for an element performing this operation for the first time. In 2014, the U.S. Special Operations Aviation Command, located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina designated a rotary wing advisory team specifically for this assignment. The Aviation Foreign Internal Defense Team, led by Chief Warrant Officer Five Michael Yeager, began to train and mentor the UH-60 crewmembers in the specific processes associated with the development of an expeditionary capability. In December 2014, the crewmembers conducted training on the logistics sustainment package and executed static training with a NATO C-17, uploading and downloading the UH-60 helicopters.
“They [30th Squadron crewmembers] rose to the challenge and have accomplished every task we’ve asked of them,” said Yeager.
U.S. Diplomacy may begin with the Department of State, but from what I’ve witnessed it certainly doesn’t stop there. The men and women supporting the Theater Special Operations Command for U.S. Central Command are force multipliers when it comes to reaching strategic goals in the diplomatic arena.
At the tactical level, nurturing military to military relationships is a must, as demonstrated by today’s mission.
Yeager said, “Aviation is a long-term engagement—you can’t just come over one time and work with them [Jordanian partners] for a couple of days and expect for them to gain proficiency in that task. One of the things we decide early on when working with a priority nation, like Jordan, is that we will continue this on a reoccurring basis, this shows commitment on our part.”
A stalwart ally in this region, the bi-lateral ties only deepen at the operational level, as the Kingdom of Jordan remains a priority for Maj. Gen Michael K. Nagata, commander, Special Operations Command Central.
In 2009, Journalist Ken Allard argued, “The interoperability problems of the armed forces reflected their long and separate traditions.”
This particular point of view contradicts what I witnessed today. I saw two nations sharing their technical savvy, operational experience, and aviation assets to seamlessly accomplish a shared goal, aimed at advancing the capabilities of our Jordanian partner and friend.
The motivation of the 30th Squadron’s crewmembers never wavered, even though the day was long and the night grew cold. Standing on the outside looking in, the noticeable differences only appeared to make each nation appreciative of what the other brings to the fight. American expeditionary forces date back to World War I. Tonight Exercise Eager Lion 2015 was the backdrop for the first of many milestones aimed at achieving the goal of a capable expeditionary force for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
| Date Taken: | 05.19.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 05.20.2015 05:25 |
| Story ID: | 163906 |
| Location: | JO |
| Web Views: | 378 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Eager Lion 2015 is a first for Jordan’s Strategic Air Deployment, by MAJ Tiffany Collins, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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