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615 CRW inactivates, transfers command to 621 CRW

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Lesley Waters
  • 621st Contingency Response Wing
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The 615th Contingency Response Wing, headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, ceased its operations as a CRW, ending seven years of mobility excellence during an inactivation ceremony on Travis Air Force Base, May 29.

Part of the inactivation ceremony included the transfer of command of the two contingency response groups and one contingency operations group to the 621st Contingency Response Wing, headquartered at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.

"With change comes great opportunity," said Col. Gary Gottschall, former 615th CRW commander. "We have an opportunity to take the best practices of both CRWs and combine them to make the single wing better. Our contingency response forces are razor sharp, ready to answer our nation's call and deploy at a moment's notice anywhere in the world to set up and sustain air operations."

The CRW is a specialized wing that provides a multifunctional rapidly deployable capability designed to set up air bases, establish theater-wide command and control, conduct airfield operations, perform aircraft maintenance, and provide security and communications assets anywhere in the world within 12 hours of notification. It also support's Air Mobility Command's Building Partnership Capacity missions by providing air mobility advisors to Southern Command's Area of Responsibility to work with partner nations to enhance their air mobility systems.

During his comments Col. Chris Patterson, the 621st CRW commander, said no matter what the mission or who they assisted, the 615th CRW Airmen were always focused on those they supported.

"That mindset is no different from the Airmen in the 621st CRW," Patterson said. "In fact, the two wings' histories were always intertwined. Whether it was the air mobility operations squadrons supporting the U.S. Central Command's air and space operations or air mobility liaison officers orchestrating combat operations on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, the wings were there together to mobilize the fight and win our nation's wars."

In his concluding remarks, the ceremony's presiding officer Maj. Gen. William Bender, U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center commander, summed up how important the merger of these two wings is by saying, "the mission set for AMCs contingency response forces are enduring."

While U.S. efforts in Iraq have ended and will continue to wind down in Afghanistan, other natural and man-made disasters will continue to rise.

"The 621st CRW must remain ready to answer the call whenever and wherever across the globe it comes," Bender said. "Today the men and women of the 615th and 621st CRWs are taking an evolutionary step in enhancing their legacy and reputation as expeditionary Airmen."

The 621st CRW reports to the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center, also located at JB MDL.