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Air mobility liaison officers translate between Air Force pilots, Army ground command

  • Published
  • By Michelle Butzgy
  • 82nd Airborne Corps Public Affairs
FORT BRAGG, N.C. --  "DZ, this is Bosco, We're six minutes out."

As Air Force Capt. Nick Conklin, an air mobility liaison officer imbedded with the 82nd Airborne Division, checked ground wind speed with a wind meter at Luzon Drop Zone, Jan. 22, Air Force Capt. Dawn Hildebrand, fellow AMLO, radioed back to the aircraft. "Bosco, this is DZ. Winds are calm, you are cleared for drop."

The C-17 flew over the day-glo orange panels forming the shape of the letter 'A' as Airmen from the 14th Air Support Operations Squadron exited the aircraft onto the drop zone on target.

Airdrops and landing zones are all in a day's work for AMLOs.

"Our job is to support various units throughout the military. Most of us are assigned to Army and Marine units," said Air Force Lt. Col. Roy Bacot, XVIII Airborne Corps AMLO. "We help the Army deploy, redeploy and sustain themselves while they are deployed. We will deploy with our Army brethren when they go."

Fort Bragg has seven AMLOs, four with the 82nd Abn. Div., two with XVIII Abn. Corps and one with 1st Theater Sustainment Command. All AMLOs fall under the 621st Contingency Response Group at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.

AMLOs are a connection to the Air Force for the Army leadership and commanders for their air mobility needs, said Bacot.

Although Air Force combat controllers also establish airdrops and airfields along with other tactical skills, the AMLO's mission is on an operational and strategic level whereas combat controllers are the "tip of the spear." The AMLO is also a position, rather than a career field, usually held for a few years. "We're on the (division or higher) staff level and hopefully can (tell) the staff (how) operational and strategic processes of the Air Mobility Command (can fit) into their mission," said Hildebrand.

To become an AMLO, applicants must be a rated pilot or navigator, said Capt. Christine Van Weezendonk, an AMLO embedded with the 1st TSC.

"We all go through an initial qualification course to become an AMLO," said Van Weezendonk.
"That builds upon any knowledge you may have on your aircraft, airdrop knowledge, knowledge of DZs and LZs. Some are more familiar with them than others based on the airframe you came from. All of us have a general understanding of how Air Mobility Command works. We can communicate that to our Army brethren."

Training also includes specifics about the Army and Marine units AMLOs may be supporting, added Van Weezendonk.

AMLOs also deploy with their unit. Orange and magenta panels, a radio, wind reading equipment and a global positioning system device are usually in an AMLO's tool kit when they deploy. The Airmen teach Soldiers or Marines how to make radio calls and set up equipment such as panels and lights. "The big picture is we're here to be the voice of Air Mobility Command," said Hildebrand.

"So when anything pertains to air mobility, that maybe the Army isn't educated on or it's a new process, hopefully we can be that initial voice to give them the basics, show them how the process is done or how to get their equipment or when the aircraft are going to arrive."

The Airmen also advise ground commanders on different air mobility options. Air Force Capt. John Garvin, AMLO, currently deployed to Afghanistan, used his aircrew expertise to help the Army unit come up with an efficient solution to receiving equipment. The Army commander wanted to place landing zones so they could move equipment in and out efficiently.

"I'm an airdrop guy," said Garvin. "It seems to be easier to airdrop stuff in, than going through the logistics of moving equipment in somewhere, bulldoze down the place (and) setting it up. It's all about what the mission dictates and the area striving to become."

Communication between the Air Force and ground units is essential. "When I'm talking to the Air Force, hopefully we can give them what the Army commander's intent is," said Hildebrand.
"Because sometimes (the Air Force) is just getting a request and asks, 'Why do they want to do this?' Hopefully we can express to them this is what the Army commander is trying to do. That can help give (the pilots) some insight if something happens or there's weather and they can modify the mission to actually represent the Army commander's intent. When we're talking to the Army, we translate to them this is how the Air Force looks on it. We can be that conduit," she said.

"The Army still relies on the Air Force for a lot of its mobility movements and getting men and equipment where they need to be and redeploying and sustaining them while they're over there or wherever the mission might take them," said Bacot. "That's why we're imbedded with them and that's why when the Army needs something, they put the requirements out and we're able to go to our Air Force counterparts and tell them 'Hey, this is what the Army is requesting. How do we fill the Army's request?'"

Some of the challenges an AMLO faces is switching from a doctrinal to a tactical side. "You've got be able to gear up, get ready, get your mindset to go out there and come right back to your desk a couple of weeks later. It's part of the challenge," said Garvin.

Maintaining a pulse on what's going on back at Air Force and AMC while being with the Army can also be frustrating, said Conklin. "Sometimes we don't get to see or hear about the newest changes (in the Air Force) until we see them operationally whereas knowing about those things could have helped our unit."

The position can also be rewarding. "While (Conklin) was deployed (to Haiti), we were on the phone back and forth with him being boots on ground, one of the first people being there to support the airdrops," said Van Weezendonk. "We're communicating, literally making the airdrop occur on the phone in the command post. He's down on the ground, and then he sees the plane fly by dropping the food and water to the individuals on the ground in Haiti. That was pretty rewarding, seeing the fruits of your labor," she said.

"Being fliers, we can see how important it is to have an on-time, takeoff and what that means down the line to the Soldiers on the ground waiting for food and water, bullets, whatever it may be. You see the full spectrum instead of one area," said Hildebrand.

"One of the most satisfactory part of the jobs is just that," added Garvin. "There are guys sitting in places out here where they're lucky if they receive supplies from one (helicopter) a week.

They're sitting out in far places, their food goes low, their water goes low and they're digging for scraps by the time that helo gets there that next week. When some of our AMLOs get out there and are able to establish a new drop zone for these people so they can get resupplies and get them plenty of food and water to sustain them for a week, and they say 'thank you,' it doesn't get any more rewarding than that. You just opened them up to a whole new level of resupply. That's icing on the cake when I see the guys out there."