Air Terminal Ops Airmen make deploying possible

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Rachelle Coleman
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  When Eielson or Fort Wainwright is given a deployment notification to move personnel or cargo out, the 354th Logistics Readiness Squadron Air Terminal Operations Airmen play a vital role in making that mission happen.

Currently, the Air Terminal Operations section is preparing to send the 18th Aggressor Squadron on their annual road show to Anderson Air Base, Guam and Kadena Air Base, Japan.

"We work with PACAF and the other units to coordinate the entire airlift, to include all of the cargo that the Aggressors are going to need when they're downrange and airlift for their passengers," said Staff Sgt. Matthew Neely, ATO training NCO in charge. "When it comes time for them to leave, they come to us, we help them build up their pallets and prepare movement of all the cargo and we get it out the door."

Each flight has a specific load plan to make sure that the plane is balanced and safe to fly. The ATO team calculates the amount of cargo that needs to be shipped and plans how many aircraft are needed to move it.

One member of the section usually travels downrange with the Aggressors in case their cargo aircraft changes to coordinate how all of the equipment will be organized for shipment on the new aircraft.

"Our primary purpose is to ensure the wing is ready, able and capable of meeting its deployment times so they know what they need to do to prepare their cargo and personnel for shipment," said Master Sgt. Anthony Lee, ATO section chief.

ATO is equipped with more than 70 augmentees to assist processing cargo in periods of higher operations tempo. Augmentees are qualified to be load team members, pallet builders and technical specialists for hazardous material.

According to the Air Force, ATO Airmen must know passenger and cargo movement functions such as transport aircraft, capabilities and configuration. They must also know weight and balance factors, airlift transportation directives and documentation, cargo securing techniques, border clearance requirements, materials handling and fleet service functions.

"It's hard to nutshell what it is that we do because the nutshell is we're here to deploy the wing and Fort Wainwright," said Sergeant Lee. "The overlapping area is the wing's mission of RED FLAG means we help out with the re-deployment of units for RED FLAG. Eielson has a joint wing mentality - although the 168th Air Refueling Wing has a logistics readiness squadron they deploy through us."

Whether it's deploying a squadron for a road show or the entire wing to support military operations, the ATO section is ready to send Airmen and soldiers to where they are needed, on-time and with the necessary equipment.