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    Forward posture enables 140 ton joint airlift

    Forward posture enables 140 ton joint airlift

    Photo By Senior Airman Nicole Keim | A truck carrying a M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank June is parked on the flight line June...... read more read more

    RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, RP, GERMANY

    06.20.2015

    Story by Senior Airman Nicole Keim 

    86th Airlift Wing/Public Affairs

    RAMSTEIN, Germany - U.S. Airmen and Soldiers worked together here to transport two M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks to the Novo Selo Training area in Bulgaria, June 20 and 22.

    The joint team moved the two 70-ton tanks within 15 minutes into the back of a C-17 Globemaster III to aid in the multinational, U.S. Army Europe-led "Speed and Power" exercise which is a part of the overarching Operation Atlantic Resolve.

    "I was amazed because I've never seen 70 tons fly," said U.S. Army 1st Lt. Frank Wood, 3rd Infantry Division's 3rd Combined Arms Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment from Fort Stewart, Georgia. "It's a great honor to be a part of a mission like this because it is the first time an American tank has ever shot in Bulgaria. Being able to prove that we can take these 70-ton 'monsters' and move them from Germany to Bulgaria so quickly shows our adversaries that we can rapidly move large weaponry as well as highlight U.S. and NATO capabilities."

    This movement is the first time these tanks have been transported since 2003, when Ramstein Airmen aided in sending approximately 28 tanks in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

    Not only is this mission historically significant but also one which will be remembered by all the Airmen that made this movement happen. The strategic access that has been established throughout U.S. European Command provides unsurpassed capability in a strategically vital forward location.

    "It is great to be a part of this mission and to be here supporting the NATO efforts in Bulgaria," said Capt. Cohan Lammerding, 4th Airlift Squadron aircraft commander, from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. "This will actually be my first mission as an aircraft commander, so I am especially excited for this."

    The tanks will serve in Bulgaria to improve U.S. and Bulgarian soldiers' knowledge and train them on operability. This training event will also give them a chance to train in a live-fire environment to get a glimpse of what it would be like to take these tanks into battle.

    Moving these tanks quickly and efficiently is just one example of Ramstein's ability to offer forward-based, worldwide airlift capabilities at a moment's notice.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 06.20.2015
    Date Posted: 06.24.2015 09:01
    Story ID: 167905
    Location: RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, RP, DE
    Hometown: KINGS MOUNTAIN, NC, US
    Hometown: SALEM, OR, US

    Web Views: 51
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN