Photo By 1st Lt. Marjorie Schurr | Members of the 911th Maintenance Group and the No. 36 Squadron pose for a photo at...... read more read more
In the early morning light on Jan. 29, 2026, surrounded by piles of snow and ice after a rare one-and-a-half-foot snowfall, a small team of Steel Airmen assigned to the 911th Maintenance Group boarded a flight halfway around the world. They were bound for somewhere Pittsburgh maintainers had never been — Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberley, Australia.
Steel Airmen landed late at night to a muggy heat that felt so thick you could cut it with a knife, in a time zone 15 hours ahead of their loved ones at home. There was little time to adjust to the changes; after all, there was work to be done. Their mission: to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Australia’s No. 36 Squadron, bolstering C-17 Globemaster III maintenance operations in a rare, hands-on exchange that underscored how allied readiness is sustained not just in the air, but on the hangar floor.
“It’s a great opportunity for the Air Force Reserve to showcase our capability to a foreign military,” said Maj. Jason Lowrey, 911th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander. “Us being able to come out and show our abilities, whether [Airmen are] full-time or part time, really reflects well on all of the effort we do back home to get our Airmen prepared and reflects well on the Air Force as whole.”
RAAF Base Amberley is home to Australia’s entire fleet of C-17 Globemaster IIIs. Steel Maintainers hit the ground running, embedding with No. 36 Squadron and Boeing personnel for two weeks to improve C-17 mission readiness within the Indo-Pacific theater.
The depth and breadth at which Airmen were able to augment maintenance operations is unique amongst U.S. allies. In 2019, the U.S. and Australia announced the Aircraft Repair and Maintenance Service Implementing Agreement, a cross-servicing agreement for C-17 maintenance that allows Air Force members of both countries to conduct maintenance operations on each other’s aircraft. This meant that Pittsburgh Airmen had freedom to work closely with their Aussie counterparts, embedding almost seamlessly to get the job done.
“We’re all part of the virtual fleet, so we all help each other,” said Squadron Leader (RAAF) Sarah Dowding, No. 36 Squadron senior engineering officer. “The USAF have been operating the C-17 for longer than Australia has, so we can get some lessons learned from people who have been doing this longer than us. You find that everyone gets their own culture and way of doing things, so the more different people we work with, the more different perspectives we see and the more we learn.”
Steel Airmen were able to assist their Australian counterparts through a broad range of tasks. From providing metals technology and fabrication services to address aircraft stress fractures and corrosion, to scrubbing D-rings and floor slats until they shone, Pittsburgh augmented both flight line repair and Home Station Check inspection operations. One notable impact Steel Airmen had was through the work of a licensed machinist, who fabricated more than 20 individual aircraft parts for the RAAF to use.
“I think there’s a lot of value in the experience that the specialists bring in their systems, and I know it’s been really great having the sheet metal guys here,” said Dowding.
Even though the 911th Airlift Wing and No. 36 Squadron fly the same aircraft, not all processes are the same.
“There’s just subtle differences in maintenance, but it’s really cool,” said Leading Aircraftwoman (RAAF) Shannon Harrison, No. 36 Squadron avionics technician. “We work on the same jet but have different processes.”
One example of these differences has to do with specializations within maintenance. Rather than having individual specialties for avionics, electrical and environmental, and communications and navigation fields like in the U.S. Air Force, many of these career fields in the RAAF are merged into a single avionics technician specialty.
“That process was a little bit of a learning curve for us, because our guys can be tunnel-vision focused on their trade,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. David Demarest, 911th Maintenance Squadron production superintendent. “It’s almost like having your A&P [license]. These guys are certified expert mechanics who can work on all systems.”
While differences always pose the risk of challenges, they also can be beneficial to mission accomplishment, said Harrison.
“It’s really cool the way that you guys specialize in different fields,” said Harrison. “So when it comes to us doing a job, if we get a little stuck sometimes, you guys have that in-depth knowledge.”
Even with differing processes and skill sets, Steel Airmen were able to take away valuable experience of working with allies, experience that would prove critical in the event of any large-scale military conflict. U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Kaiden Powers, 911th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron C-17 HSC crew chief, said that the most valuable part of the TDY was learning the culture within the RAAF, especially their strong communication with one another and the confidence with which they approach their tasks.
“There’s a lot of communication with everyone. It’s great,” said Powers. “They know what they’re doing. The way they work, they just put their heads down and just get it done.”
No matter the benefits of travel and thoroughness of the planning involved in this trip, there were things that could not have been predicted. The aircraft carrying most TDY participants experienced several points of equipment failure halfway through the journey, which challenged both the team of maintainers travelling with the aircraft and the leadership team waiting to receive them in Australia.
“We talk about the tyranny of distance so much when it comes to a future war, and we got to experience it,” said Lowrey. “We send an [Advanced Echelon] team here to get everything prepared, but then the main body gets stuck in the middle of the Pacific ocean for several days. We’re trying to help lead through the challenges that were going on there, but we’re separated so we’re not seeing everything that’s going on.”
Through extensive coordination with Boeing, the 154th Wing of the Hawaii Air National Guard, and 911th MXG personnel back home, maintenance personnel on the flight were able to order necessary parts and fix what was broken.
“So many people stepped up, took charge, and thought outside the box to fix the jet,” said Lowrey. “It’s rewarding for us to see them overcome those challenges, and then they get here and continue kicking butt.”
Airmen in Pittsburgh have traditionally completed their annual tour from home, said Lowrey. Though an effective cost saving measure, this tactic limits opportunities for Airmen to learn how to work within a different environment during peacetime, which would hinder maintenance operations in any large-scale conflict.
“It gives the Airmen that experience of working with an ally outside of a hostile environment, and I think there’s a lot to gain from that,” said Lowrey. “You can focus more on absorbing the culture and understanding how their military operates when you’re in a friendly environment than you normally would if you were working with them in the Middle East somewhere.”
To help build that resilience and muscle memory while working away from home, Lowrey launched a similar program to one he had run at a previous duty station. This trip to embed with the RAAF was one of several planned for the 911th MXG as part of this effort, including others to assist in-route maintenance in Germany, participating in an exercise in Japan, and supporting maintenance operations with the Air National Guard in Alaska.
“More often than not, I find that our reservists are training the active duty Air Force, or in this case, training the Australians,” said Lowrey. “It really is impressive to see what our reservists can do and then continually impress our hosts. We always get that feedback, ‘hey, we want you to come back.’”
This trip was no exception to that positive feedback. Harrison said that Steel Airmen’s efforts significantly contributed to maintenance operations, day or night.
“On night shift, we had plus-ten manning come in,” said Harrison, referring to the more than ten Steel Airmen who worked night shift for flight line repair. “It was quite beneficial to have them come in. Everything was done quickly and accurately, and it was a lot more effective.”
Dowding echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the positive impact of a deeper relationship for both the U.S. Air Force and the RAAF.
“We love working with the U.S. Air Force,” said Dowding. “We always learn a lot, and hopefully they learn from us as well. It’s part of being in the military, right? Go different places, do different things, work with different people - it’s just a great experience all around.”
That kind of positive feedback is exactly what was hoped for in planning this trip, said Lowrey. Steel Airmen’s accomplishments during the trip were a significant point of pride.
“For me that’s really the proudest thing,” said Lowrey. “It’s taking these guys out and they just nail it every single time.”
| Date Taken: | 02.13.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 02.27.2026 09:26 |
| Story ID: | 559069 |
| Location: | AMBERLEY, QUEENSLAND, AU |
| Web Views: | 118 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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