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CRW Equipment, manpower augment Pakistan relief cell capability

Published Sept. 8, 2010
By Staff Sgt. Kali Gradishar
U.S. Air Forces Central Public Affairs

CHAKLALA AIR FORCE BASE, Pakistan -- Along with the arrival of a contingency response element from the 621st Contingency Response Team, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., came additional capabilities to increase aircraft loading efficiency at Pakistan Air Force's Central Flood Relief Cell at Chaklala Air Base, Pakistan.

The additional equipment added to Pakistan's flood-relief efforts at Chaklala will augment local workers at the flood relief cell as they build pallets of flood relief supplies and load them on various aircraft bringing much-needed food, water, shelter and other basic necessities required for the survival and endurance of the more than 14 million people affected by flooding that began late July.

The first aerial porters who landed at Chaklala AFB had only two 10K all-terrain forklifts and were loading pallets one at a time on aircraft, which took about 40 minutes per aircraft, said Staff Sgt. Damian Perkins, 21st Air Mobility Operations Squadron, Joint Base MDL. Then we received the next generation small loader, or NGSL, which "shortened it from about a 40-minute load time, to loading a C-130 [Hercules aircraft] in about 15 minutes. It means a lot more cargo, a lot more food and a lot more water getting downrange to the people that need it."

The contingency response element arrived with the equipment, as well as the manpower to support it. That includes 16 specialty porters who are qualified drive all vehicles used in the loading and off-loading of cargo for Air Force assets.

"I'm one of the [aerial porters] that loads up the cargo with the assistance of the Pakistanis and moves it on the C-130's, said Perkins, who said the equipment has benefited operations at the base.

The introduction of the NGSL, additional forklifts and manpower allows for a remarkable increase in capability for the Pakistan relief effort, as it frees more time for aerial porters, loadmasters and aircrews to aid their Pakistani counterparts.

"It eases up on the workload of everybody here," said Perkins, a Michigan native. "This means we can load more C-130's when we get them here. It frees up a lot of hands."

We could possibly get theC-130's to run two missions per day out of Chaklala bringing relief supplies to smaller airfields throughout the country, said the staff sergeant. "That's twice the cargo going downrange -- Twice the food. Twice the water. Twice the humanitarian supplies. And that's basically what we're here for to make sure everybody downrange gets what they need... at the request of the Pakistani government."

The equipment and manpower supplied by the CRE are part of a behind-the-scenes effort aiding the Pakistan Air Force at Chaklala AFB in forwarding various flood relief supplies to include blankets, clothing, beds and various supplies donated from Pakistan and other countries.

"We get to do the humanitarian mission, and it makes you feel really good inside. We're helping the people that are honestly sitting there with no food, no water and they're asking for the help," Perkins said.