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MSAS air advisors take BPC mission to Guatemala for first time

  • Published
  • By Capt. Jonathan Guerrero
  • 571st Mobility Support Advisory Squadron
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The 571st Mobility Support Advisory Squadron concluded its first building-partnership-capacity mission in Guatemala, May 5 through June 14, 2013.

Fifteen air advisors deployed to La Aurora Air Base, Guatemala City, Guatemala, for 41 consecutive days to exchange ideas with the Guatemalan Air Force in different areas of operational mobility.

The MSAS mobile training team exchanged ideas with 81 partner nation personnel in the areas of aircraft maintenance, airbase defense, civil engineering, communications, command and control, fuels, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, logistics and vehicle maintenance using a variety of hands on activities to advance AFSOUTH defined command and control, ISR, operational mobility lines of effort.

This was the first MSAS BPC mission in Guatemala in direct support of Southern Command's Counter Transnational Organized Crime mission. The event kicked-off with an opening ceremony officiated by Col. Juan Carlos Aleman, La Aurora Air Base Wing vice commander, who welcomed the MSAS team.

"We thank the MSAS for their support and partnership in helping us become a better air force," Aleman said.

The MSAS team focused its training efforts across nine seminars to improve general safety and training programs to ultimately yield more effective use of the GAF's limited resources.
Tech. Sgt. Mateo Escareno, 571th MSAS aircraft maintenance air advisor, worked closely with the GAF aircraft maintenance personnel on their grounded King Air B200.

Escareno helped the Guatemalan maintainers resolve an engine control issue for the B200. Additionally, he identified critical parts for the emergency oxygen system and air conditioning system. Once these parts are installed on the King Air B200, it will be ready for an operational test flight in preparation for the SOUTHCOM installation of the Forward Looking Infrared system.

"The Guatemalan King Air B200 is one of our top priorities in order for the Guatemalan Air Force to be relevant in the fight against drug trafficking in the region," said Col. Knutson, U.S. Military Group senior defense official in Guatemala.

The MSAS team helped the partner nation develop their own standards, processes and checklists for their operations. For example, the Guatemalan air force developed checklists for safely refueling aircraft and filtering water and sediments from their fuel storage tanks. Also, the GAF developed its own quick reaction checklists for incidents such as: aircraft hard landings, natural disasters and base security breaches.

Tech. Sgts. Richard Rubalcava and Jason Reeder, 571st MSAS communications air advisors, helped the Guatemalan personnel fix an "error fault" on their primary high frequency radio in order to maintain critical communications with the northern and southern Air Bases in Guatemala. Also, the MSAS communications air advisors helped the GAF fix their main computer which communicates with other American air forces within Sistema de Cooperación entre las Fuerzas Aéreas Americanas by removing viruses and malware.

"The GAF transmission systems technicians are a highly motivated group of professionals who share a desire to learn new skills and apply them in order to accomplish the mission," Rubalcava said. "Proper maintenance of critical communication systems is essential to combat drug trafficking."

As the first major MSAS engagement in Guatemala, this BPC set a solid foundation for a systematic building block approach to developing the GAF's ability to sustain King Air B200 ISR flying operations. Additionally, the benefits gained from cross-talks and interaction with the GAF and other Department of Defense agencies will further improve the synchronization and effectiveness of the 571st MSAS's BPC efforts in support of SOUTHCOM theater security cooperation objectives.