SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. – A new chapter in global mobility launched today with the
official opening of the Joint Operations and Mission Planning Center, a facility designed to
centralize the military's most critical transportation and flight planning operations under
one roof.
Completed after five years of construction at a cost of $110 million, the JOMPC consolidates
nearly 1,000 personnel into a high-tech nerve center. The two-story, four-acre building
streamlines the complex coordination required to move troops, fuel, and patients across the
globe by co-housing U.S. Transportation Command’s Force Flow element, the 618th Air
Operations Center, and key elements of Air Mobility Command, including its Air Intelligence
Squadron.
Leaders from these organizations, along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville
District who oversaw the construction and turnover of the facility, participated in a ribbon
cutting ceremony today to celebrate the successful completion and partnership of the
effort.
Gen. Randall Reed, USTRANSCOM’s commander, explained, “Global mobility demands a
united total force. This facility brings numerous military entities together under a single
roof and provides additional information-sharing capacity to keep us aligned with fellow
international and commercial professionals. It is through physical and professional unity
that we will grow as one to project power and deliver hope.”
Located in the building is USTRANSCOM’s Force Flow element, which serves as the strategic
architect for the Department of War’s global transportation requirements. Whether by land,
sea, or air, they determine what assets are required and the sequence in which they must
arrive. This includes deconflicting crowded airfields, prioritizing time-critical aeromedical
evacuations, and calculating the massive aerial refueling requirements needed to project
combat power.
However, the largest footprint within the JOMPC belongs to the 618th Air Operations
Center. If the Force Flow element is the master architect, the 618th AOC serves as its 24/7
dispatch center, directing a fleet of nearly 1,100 aircraft and delivering strategic airlift, air
refueling, aeromedical evacuation and global air mobility support for operations around the
world.
Brig. Gen. Michele Lo Bianco, 618th AOC commander, shared, “Our mission to execute rapid
global mobility never stops. We have a critical responsibility to command and control the
deployment of air power to delivery lethality, hope, and freedom. The JOMPC will foster
greater collaboration and improve our mission capabilities.”
During the ceremony, Lt. Gen. Rebecca Sonkiss, AMC interim commander, underscored the
sheer magnitude of their operations.
“AMC is the maneuver for the Joint Force,” she said. “No unit understands this better than
the 618th Air Operations Center. As the largest and busiest AOC in the Department of War,
the 618th executes major combat operations across the globe. This team actively controls
decisive mobility operations for over 1,000 aircraft across all seven continents. The AOC
requires every single one of these advancements to properly plan, task, execute and assess
global air mobility operation.”
To bring this facility to life, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, base civil engineers, and cyber
specialists worked in lockstep to ensure the building met strict operational and security
requirements.
Nolan Robben, USACE project engineer and contracting officer's representative, said, “One
of the things we are most proud of isn’t a single visible feature, but the collective attention
to detail that went into constructing a facility capable of supporting the warfighter’smission. Much of the work that enables that mission—secure spaces, communications
infrastructure, and the integration of complex building systems—will never be seen by the
public, but it is essential to how the building operates.”
He also explained how this project required their team to navigate numerous technical
challenges, evolving mission requirements, and significant design modifications during
construction. Although the changes required careful coordination and some rework, he
said the strong partnership among all stakeholders allowed the team to address the issue.
“The result is a fully compliant, secure facility that meets the updated mission
requirements. Standing on site . . . and seeing the finished facility—knowing the challenges
the team had worked through together—was an incredibly satisfying moment. More
importantly, it represented the successful delivery of a building designed and constructed
to carry out its mission and support the warfighters who will rely on it every day,” Robben
said.