Team Dover part of historic C-5 surge

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Katie Spencer
  • 512th Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  The 512th and 436th Airlift Wings will participate in a surge of some of the nation's largest military airlifters to fly cargo in support of combatant commanders, worldwide Oct. 14-21.

Nine crews from Team Dover will take part in the surge flying C-5B and C-5M aircraft. All aircraft and aircrews involved in the surge will accomplish real-world missions, which will directly support national defense priorities.

The purpose of the surge is to increase the capacity and ability of the global mobility enterprise at a fast rate as to demonstrate its flexibility when responding to an emerging crisis. It will bring together 23 crews and aircraft from the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command and 18 from the active- duty component for a total of 41 total force C-5 Galaxy aircraft.

"We're proud to contribute in this total force effort," said Col. Randal L. Bright, 512th AW commander. "Our reservists are ready anywhere, anytime."

The surge will double the normal day-to-day workload of total force C-5 units as there are usually only 18 global C-5 missions scheduled at one time.

"The 41 daily missions will more than double the 18 we normally execute on a typical day," said Maj. Sandy Thompson, Air Forces Transportation lead planner. "To put in a historical context, the best C-5 daily achievement since 2007 was 33 C-5s flown."

The missions will be in accordance with priorities set by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and are expected to have no impact on the operations of civilian contract carriers.

The C-5, which has the ability to carry more than any other U.S. military aircraft and fly 6,000 miles without refueling, has been a workhorse for the Air Force since the 1970s. In addition, the C-5 can transport fully equipped combat units rapidly anywhere in the world and then provide the support needed to sustain them. All four models of the C-5 fleet will be involved in the surge (A, B, C, and M).

According to surge planners, the results of the surge will be evaluated and a set of lessons learned will be developed to help determine ways to be more efficient in responding to an emerging crisis. They add that regardless of the results, the surge will provide a valuable opportunity to exercise and evaluate the global mobility enterprise.

"Whether supporting contingency or humanitarian missions, mobility forces stand ready to answer the call," said Gen. Ray Johns, commander of Air Mobility Command and AFTRANS. "This surge is about continuing to enhance our readiness and strategic agility to better support our national policy."

(Maj. Michael Meridith, 18th Air Force Public affairs, contributed to this story)