AMC leads the way in total force integration

Photo By Marnee Losurdo | Senior Airman Christopher Townsley, 403rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, marshalls in an 815th Airlift Squadron aircrew returning from Saber Junction 16, April 20, 2016. The exercise, which started March 31 and ends April 24, is the U.S. Army’s annual combat training center certification exercise to evaluate the readiness of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. The 815th AS participated in the training event April 5-20, 2016. (U.S. Air Force photo/Maj. Marnee Losurdo)  

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, IL, UNITED STATES

04.22.2016

Story by Jodi Ames 

Air Mobility Command

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Air Mobility Command delivers global reach, global vigilance and global power in the form of worldwide cargo and passenger airlift, air refueling and aeromedical evacuation.

That ability to respond at a moment's notice and enable rapid global mobility operations is made possible through the support of total force contributions.

Currently, AMC is leading the way in the Air Force's effort toward total force integration of Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve Command and active-duty components.

Continual changes in the security landscape and the fiscal environment require the Air Force to evolve in order to meet current and future challenges.

Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James said in a previous statement, "Current fiscal realities and a new generation of American Airmen have made it imperative to evolve. A critical part of our evolution will be to make total force integration a permanent part of our culture."

That culture change is already a reality for AMC and the Airmen who execute mobility missions in the air and on the ground every day.

"The Mobility Air Force is the standard when it comes to total force integration, and that is not by accident," said 18th Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Samuel Cox in the Spring 2016 edition of The Mobility Forum. "We practice and train as an integrated team every day, and that pays off in our execution of operational missions. Participating in exercises provides active duty, Air National Guard and Reserve forces the opportunity to perfect our interoperability."

This pursuit of a fully integrated and agile force allows AMC and the Air Force to build on existing strengths and leverage unique perspectives from each component in order to grow the force's operational capability and functionality.

In order to facilitate the seamless integration of forces, AMC relies on a team of ANG and AFRC assistants, advisors and liaisons who act as conduits of information between their components and Headquarters Air Force.

"The ready reserve is available for almost immediate use, and the ARC provides a second layer of defense," said Col. Jon Scott, an ANG advisor to AMC. "Most alert missions are covered by the Guard, which allows flexibility for the active component to go forward. We're also augmenting active duty in all contingency operations."

The Reserve advisor to the AMC commander agreed.

"The Air Force Reserve is a force with operational capability, strategic depth and surge capacity," said Col. Robert Kalteis, Reserve advisor to the AMC commander. "We provide experienced, combat-ready and cost-effective forces, along with the ANG, as part of the total force team."

In fact, over half of all mobility aircraft are assigned to ANG and AFRC units. This construct provides a flexible template to meet operational requirements while retaining a viable strategic reserve for emergencies. It also ensures bolstered readiness and access to resources during high operations tempos, according to the Mobility Air Forces Strategic Vision.

"More than half of the rapid global mobility profile is in the air reserve components," Scott said. "We average 70 crews and 45 tails flying AMC missions daily on the KC-135 alone."

Since rapid global mobility underpins all other Air Force core missions, it is essential for the AMC enterprise to meet the demands of providing an unrivaled deployment and sustainment capability and delivering humanitarian relief when and where it's needed.

The contributions of nearly 76,000 Guard and Reserve Airmen help guarantee that Air Mobility Command and the Mobility Air Force remain postured to deliver hope, fuel the fight for U.S. and coalition forces and save lives whenever a call for help comes in.

• Date Taken: 04.22.2016
• Date Posted: 04.22.2016 17:41
• Story ID: 196299
• Location: SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, IL, US