SAN ANTONIO, Saipan - Airmen assigned to the 437th Airlift Wing rapidly deployed to Palau and Saipan as a part of Joint Base Charleston’s Combat Readiness Exercise to conduct Operation Palmetto Reach from Jan. 14-21st.
The exercise began by launching 10 C-17 Globemaster III’s over nine thousand miles to various destinations to demonstrate Charleston’s ability to respond to high-intensity combat missions across the globe, no matter the circumstances. The exercise included airdrops, dissimilar formation flights with other aircraft, community engagement events, low level training and aerial refueling.
“As we look to the future, our goal is to be able to operate out of non-operating bases,” said Lt. Col. Dan Holder, 14th Airlift Squadron commander. “We know that the fighter, bomber and tanker communities will operate out of their main bases and we will provide the hub and spoke out of places like Saipan and Palau.”
Palmetto Reach is a geographically separated, multi-faceted exercise hosted by the 14th Airlift Squadron aimed at bolstering cohesion within the force and gaining familiarity in the region. Operating in these environments requires all personnel to perform under intense pressure to accomplish their part of the mission.
“Every career field from the Mission Support Group is tasked with supporting our pilots and maintainers by making sure they have everything they need”, said 1st Lt. John Girtman, 628th Logistics Readiness Squadron assistant installation deployment officer. “We make sure that everything is where it needs to be, when it needs to be there.”
As the 10 aircraft headed to their destinations, three landed at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and returned to Joint Base Charleston to maintain real-world mission support there while the other seven continued to the Indo Pacific. Each aircraft had two flying crews allowing for select crews swap flight duties for 32 to 34-hour operations known as maximum endurance operations. Upon arriving at the islands, the maintenance group were one of the first to begin their support.
“Hours before the aircrew members step, we have maintainers out on the flightline making sure that the aircraft is ready to fly with the correct load and configuration”, said 2nd Lt. Johnathan Green, 437th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron officer in charge. “We ensure that these planes get off the ground and we coordinate with the flight operations manager to make sure that whatever they need, we can support.”
Other supporting functions included moving equipment such as forklifts, fuel trucks and Light Medium Tactical Vehicles around Guam, Tinian, Rota, Saipan and Palau on strict time lines, showcasing Charleston’s ability to transport critical supplies with speed and flexibility. In total, over 250 members for Joint Base Charleston came in support of exercise Palmetto Reach and effectively executed their mission.
“We have asked a lot from our folks. These are not easy days, and we have given them complex problems to solve at their level”, said Lt. Col. Holder. “I have learned from each and every one of them and I couldn’t be prouder of all of their hard work.”
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