MANAS, Kyrgystan - Another milestone passed here as the 466th Air Expeditionary Group gathered their equipment to move to Al Udied Air Base, Qatar, Feb. 18.
The move was necessary as the Transit Center lease termination draws near.
The 466th AEG provides operational and administrative control of joint expeditionary tasking/individual augmentee airmen who support commanders across more than 40 different forward operating locations in Afghanistan.
“The change in location will be transparent to Airmen coming in and out of Afghanistan; the processes will remain the same,” said Col. Tim Lee, 466th AEG commander, who is deployed from Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. “We’re still going to provide the support necessary to all JET/IA airmen.”
The 466th AEG re-activated in 2012 at the Transit Center under a new construct that tracks all Airmen who don’t fall under a traditional Air Force chain of command. The new concept was necessary because airmen and commanders gave feedback that they were unaware of their chain of command or who to contact in case of an emergency.
Lee explained that the problem extended to some Red Cross messages not reaching intended recipients in adequate time, which lead to confusion and increased anxiety in some deployed Airmen working in this capacity.
The Air Force aimed to eliminate these problems, and created the 466th AEG. They now track and maintain accountability for 100 percent of the more than 1,100 airmen from more than 130 Air Force career fields who fill JET/IA roles throughout the area of responsibility. From a personnel standpoint, they are the largest group in Air Force Central Command.
Lee said the 466th AEG creates an internal funnel for all JET/IA Airmen. “When they get to us, we explain in more detail how we are here to support them,” said the Alexandria, Va., native. “From there, we’ll hand them off to one of our squadrons who transfers them to the unit that has tactical control of the Airman.”
He added that this process ensures airmen go to the right job at the right place and gives airmen the peace of mind knowing the Air Force is looking out for them.
JET Airmen can fulfill non-traditional roles such as combat and support advisors for Afghan National Security Forces, which include the police and army, while IA Airmen fill more career-specific jobs that can be filled by service members from any branch of service.