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Globemaster dominates landscape, sky worldwide

  • Published
  • By Capt. David Gaulin & Capt. Scott Konzem
  • 6th Airlift Squadron commander
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  On any given day at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., the casual flightline observer is privy to flurry of activity. In addition to the bustle of KC-10 Extenders, contract cargo carriers and transient Air Force aircraft from every corner of the globe, McGuire's 13 C-17A Globemaster III's, operated by the 6th and 732nd Airlift Squadrons, serve as a dominant force on the landscape. 

For this casual observer of the flightline, it might seem as if life for these distinctive "T"-tailed jets and their aircrews, maintainers and support crews, consists of days spent flying around the flagpole practicing takeoffs and landings. However, those who have spent time deployed in the last 10 years know the truth of the C-17 -- it has become the workhorse of cargo, troop, aeromedical and airdrop transportation both into and within "the theater." 

The unique capabilities of the Globemaster - specifically its ability to carry outsize cargo into austere airfields - have proven to be an indispensible asset within the Central Command area of responsibility. With President Obama's shift in focus from Iraq to Afghanistan, a complete logistical network to transfer personnel and supplies from one country to the other had to be created rapidly. In addition, the existing support network for Afghanistan had to be improved to accommodate the heightened operational levels. To make matters more difficult, all of the equipment was being moved into a country with poor infrastructure, landlocked by brutal deserts, imposing mountains and unfriendly neighbors. 

The Tanker Airlift Command Center, which controls airlift assets for Air Mobility Command, worked closely with the theater airlift authorities in the Air Mobility Division of the Combined Air and Space Operations Center to facilitate this move. At the heart of the effort to perform this daunting feat were the efforts of the Globemaster and the men and women who train to operate, maintain and support them. 

Of note, C-17s recently played a key role in the transportation of the entire 2nd Marine Expeditionary Battalion from Kuwait and Kyrgyzstan to Camp Bastion in the Helmand province of Afghanistan. All told, this move consisted of more than 171 missions, transporting 5.7 million pounds of cargo and more than 9,500 passengers. 

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, C-17s are performing assault landings into austere airfields, a challenging task that crews practice for at Lakehurst's assault landing zone. Crews are also conducting "combat offloads" at austere bases, allowing cargo to be offloaded in a minimum amount of time without the use of forklifts or Tunner Loaders. 

The challenging topography of the Hindu Kush Mountains provides a unique challenge, featuring forward operating bases which can only be supplied via airdrop. The 57th Weapons Squadron, based at McGuire, trains C-17 experts that develop the tactics, techniques and procedures which make these airdrop missions possible. They are critical in supporting the more than 800-percent increase in Afghani airdrop missions since 2005 - missions that provide the food, fuel and ammunition that ISAF forces need to bring the fight to the enemy in the mountains along the Afghan-Pakistan border. 

In addition to the outstanding capability of the C-17 to move a profusion of cargo into and out of some of the most challenging locations imaginable, a key part of the Globemaster's mission involves functioning as a flying hospital. The C-17 plays a critical role in aeromedical evacuation, helping to maintain the outstanding 98 percent survivability rate currently boasted for injured personnel transported from expeditionary medical facilities to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. 

The current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan pose major logistical challenges to the warfighter. However, the capabilities of the C-17, when combined with the efforts of those who maintain, fuel, load, plan, coordinate and fly the aircraft, are making incredible things happen. The future looks bright and busy for McGuire's C-17s and those who support them.