Photo By Maj. Edward McBride | Guerir Labouihi training complex, Morocco U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Stephen “DISCO”...... read more read more
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AGADIR — Although not officially deemed a joint headquarters, U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) has joint and multi-national enablers within the command, one such position being its air mobility liaison officer, or “AMLO.”
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Stephen Parsons is the AMLO for SETAF-AF. Parsons, who goes by his call sign, “DISCO,” is qualified to fly a C-130J Super Hercules, jump out of it, calculate, measure, and control a landing zone for it.
Globally, the Air Force has 63 AMLOs, comprised of pilots and navigators embedded within Army and Marine units at the division or higher level.
AMLOs integrate with sister services and ensure they know how to best utilize Air Force mobility aircraft, such as the C-17, C-5, and mighty C-130J Super Hercules. This ranges from interacting with the airlift request process at the staff level to being at DZ or LZ during airborne operations.
The SETAF-AF AMLO position is also a parachutist position. This is a unique opportunity to attend the U.S. Army Airborne School and maintain jump status.
“Jumping out of these military aircraft was one of the toughest things I’ve ever done,” Parsons said.
As a qualified parachutist, Parsons conducts airborne entries with the command’s Early Entry Command Post and with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, projecting him to the most forward edge of the operation when needed.
To do his job, Parsons packs a standard loadout consisting of a dynamic cone penetrometer for testing soil strength, dual multiband handheld radios, a multiband networking manpack radio with beyond line-of-sight capabilities, an inclinometer, a weather meter, night vision goggles, personal protective equipment, a handheld GPS, and a cell phone with a suite of mission planning tools installed. If you don’t know what some of those are, it is ok, you are not alone. That just emphasizes why his role within the team is so critical.
According to the Air Force manual on AMLO operations, AMLOs are not assigned to specific staff sections within the supported command to maintain necessary flexibility across all staff functions and assist with issues directly.
This autonomy affords him flexibility to best position around the staff as the mission requires, then directly interface back with Air Mobility Command to garner the required support. A critical biproduct is the ability to assist in identifying and rectifying any gaps. This creates a bridge for shared understanding across all three levels of war: strategic, operational, and tactical.
As a pilot and airborne AMLO, Parsons’ operational perspective has also changed. “In just working with the Army I now think of things when I’m talking with Air Force people that they would not necessarily right away think about,” he said. “Where are we bringing this stuff? It’s like, yea, this airfield fits this airplane and so does this one, but how close is this one to a rail station or a port. Does it look like a place that has power or is it nowhere near anything (else useful).”
Prior to this assignment, his involvement and thoughts often did not consider the second and third order effects the selection of a landing zone or drop zone had on the Soldiers in the rear of the aircraft. The inverse being the Soldiers in the back generally don’t know the requirements needed for the Air Force to execute the mission.
Parsons highlighted that this disconnect is why exercises like African Lion, which allow Air Force and Army planners to integrate in challenging environments, provide so much insight for the military on joint interoperability.
Naturally, Parsons will take back to the Air Force the tacit knowledge gained both directly, and indirectly. Parsons said he hopes to inform and influence Air Force policy, operations, and procedures.
This year marks Parsons’ third and final year as an AMLO, after which he will return to an operational Air Force wing to resume the flying portion of his career.
| Date Taken: | 06.27.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 06.27.2023 05:33 |
| Story ID: | 448035 |
| Location: | AGADIR, MA |
| Hometown: | PINEY WOODS, MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Web Views: | 237 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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African Lion
