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SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- The sun never sets on U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM). Elements of the Department of Defense mission may have paused this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but USTRANSCOM continued to enable the warfighter.
“There is nothing that the world can do to bring this great command to a halt, because it is so essential to everything the Department of Defense does,” said U.S. Army Gen. Stephen R. Lyons, commander, USTRANSCOM. “We figured out a means to continue the mission and protect the force, as well as support the whole government’s COVID response effort.”
Lyons added, “I couldn’t be more proud of the command’s innovation, commitment and resiliency this past year despite the challenges and look forward to seeing what 2021 brings.”
Here are a few highlights of missions USTRANSCOM enabled throughout 2020. Together, we deliver!
Coronavirus Pandemic Response
USAID ventilators delivered to Russia by U.S. Air Force
U.S. Agency for International Development delivered 50 ventilators to Russia in May and another 150 via a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, June 2020. As part of a global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States provided critical medical supplies and ventilators to people in need around the world.
Negatively Pressured Conex transports first COVID patients
Rapidly developed in response to the U.S. Transportation Command's Joint Urgent Operational Need, the Negatively Pressurized Conex was designed to fit inside of a C-17 aircraft and enable the safe transport of as many as 28 patients, both ambulatory and litter, and teams of medical professionals to medical facilities around the globe.
Test conducted to reveal COVID particle airflow on aircraft
U.S. Transportation Command worked with industry partners to conduct tests on commercial aircraft to minimize the transmission of the Coronavirus on Patriot Express flights. The Patriot Express is a commercial charter flight contracted by the Department of Defense managed by the U.S. Transportation Command, to transport military members, dependents and contractors.
On-site COVID testing enacted, required to mitigate spread on Patriot Express flights
Rapid, on-site COVID-19 testing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Baltimore–Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport will minimize, as much as possible, virus transmissions for Department of Defense military, civilian and family members traveling overseas. The Patriot Express is a commercial charter flight contracted by the Department of Defense managed by the U.S. Transportation Command, to transport military members, dependents and contractors.
Caring for People
U.S. State Department repatriates U.S. citizens from Bangladesh
U.S. Transportation Command contracted aircraft on behalf of the State Department and used the command’s existing command and control systems to efficiently manage the flow of aircraft. USTRANSCOM is uniquely positioned to assist in the contract of commercial aircraft as it oversees the commercial carriers participating in the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, which transport thousands of Department of Defense personnel on a regular basis.
Twin newborns medically air evacuated from Korea to U.S. for care
A dual military family living in South Korea was medically evacuated to the United States after their twin boys were born 10 weeks premature. A C-17 Globemaster III equipped with a neonatal intensive care unit transported the family to Maryland’s Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland. Serving as the DOD’s single manager for global patient movement, U.S. Transportation Command executes this critical mission through the U.S. Air Force’s aeromedical evacuation system.
Enabling the Warfighter
Two all-female aircrews refuel B-2A Spirit bombers enabling long-range strategic mission
A 351st Air Refueling Squadron training mission, which refueled B-2 Spirits, included two all-female crews at RAF Mildenhall, England, June 18, 2020. U.S. Transportation Command oversees more than 50 operational aerial refuelings a day, providing the necessary fuel to sustain airplanes for long-distance missions.
USTRANSCOM, SpaceX partner to distribute global logistics, warfighters
U.S. Transportation Command signed a CRADA with SpaceX, titled Space Transportation Capability for the Joint Force. The two-year collaborative arrangement, announced during the NDTA Fall Meeting, may assist the command project combat power anywhere on the globe in less than 60 minutes, utilizing the ‘Final Frontier.’
Immediate Response Force deployment to Iraq to counter increased Iranian threat
The Immediate Response Force of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in response to Iranian threats in January of 2020. U.S. Transportation Command is responsible for projecting and sustaining military power at a time and place of the nation’s choosing.
Largest deployment of U.S. forces, equipment to Europe in 25 years for DEFENDER-Europe 20
The Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command and Military Sealift Command, alongside their commercial partners, demonstrated the ability to project strategic readiness through their support of the DEFENDER-Europe 20 exercise. U.S. Transportation Command’s role in the exercise was to assure the deployment of a combat credible force to Europe, through cooperation and coordination with its military and commercial partners, in support of NATO and the U.S. National Defense Strategy, and then redeploy them back to home station when its mission was complete.
Joint Readiness Exercise demonstrates rapid deployment capabilities
U.S. Transportation Command’s mission to transport troops and cargo around the world on a short or no-notice deployment requires many moving parts. The annual exercise tested the Army’s ability to rapidly deploy a brigade combat team (BCT), U.S. Forces Command and U.S. Army Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command’s (SDDC) ability to prepare a BCT for deployment, and USTRANSCOM’s capability to activate organic assets needed to move personnel and equipment.
USTRANSCOM exists as a warfighting combatant command to project and sustain military power at a time and place of the nation’s choosing. Powered by dedicated men and women, USTRANSCOM underwrites the lethality of the Joint Force, advances American interests around the globe, and provides our nation's leaders with strategic flexibility to select from multiple options, while creating multiple dilemmas for our adversaries.
| Date Taken: | 12.29.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 12.29.2020 10:00 |
| Story ID: | 385970 |
| Location: | SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 204 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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