Photo By Julian Hernandez | SSgt. Ethan Krempin, a 68th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, guides a vehicle from U.S....... read more read more
433rd Airlift Wing Reserve Citizen Airmen worked with U.S. Army North’s Task Force 51 personnel to
conduct a joint cargo upload training event here on May 20.
The training opportunity was designed for Task Force 51, a deployable command post that provides
mission command options for routine and contingency operations in the U.S. Northern Command area
of responsibility, to validate load plans and certify their ability to move assets on a C-5M Super Galaxy.
For Alamo Wing Airmen, it allowed them to hone skills related to multiple parts of the cargo upload
process including conducting a joint inspection prior to upload, processing the necessary documents
following the inspection, and uploading the cargo on to the aircraft.
Task Force 51 brought a total of six vehicles for inspection and upload. Airmen, Soldiers, and
Department of Defense civilians worked together to inspect the vehicles, ensuring they were configured
in accordance with Air Force air transportation regulations.
“We're bringing all of our rolling stock for Task Force 51 for the contingency command post that would
go forward in an event,” said U.S. Army Maj. Jennifer Newman, Task Force 51 chief of current
operations.
“It's very important currently because we have had a change in our rolling stock,” Newman said. “We
have lost two vehicles and gained another piece of equipment, so this equipment has never been
validated on an aircraft before.”
Task Force 51 is most often activated in response to natural disasters such as hurricanes. With the
deadly hurricane season set to open on June 1, the ability to move quickly using platforms like the C-5M
Super galaxy is critical.
The Alamo Wing’s C-5 Formal Training Unit is responsible for all initial and advanced C-5 air crew
qualification. Realistic training opportunities directly contribute to the 433rd AW mission of providing
combat ready Reserve Citizen Airmen anywhere, anytime.
This training event provided hands-on experience for Airmen from multiple specialties and
demonstrated the 433rd AW’s ability to operate as part of the joint force.
“Our job in this case is to train load masters and air transportation specialists,” said MSgt. Alejandro
Molina, a 733rd Training Squadron transportation specialist and the Non-Commissioned Officer in
Charge of this training event.
“For our loadmasters, we’re teaching them how to load, how they are supposed to tie the equipment
down whether its pallets, vehicles, or loose cargo,” Molina said. “The air transportation specialists are
learning to handle cargo check in, which involves weighing, measuring and finding the center of balance,
checking for hazards and ensuring the cargo is air worthy, then inspecting the paperwork for adherence
to regulation before passing it off to the loadmasters for upload.”
Molina highlighted the versatility of this training. “We’ve worked with the Army, Navy, CIA, FBI, Border
Patrol,” he said. “Any outside agency that requires training to load cargo on C-5's or any other plane
they're deploying on, we can teach them.”
For both units, the event yielded multiple lessons learned including how to better coordinate ahead of
time to facilitate upload operations and understanding equipment limitations. These lessons will help
make responding to a real-world contingency easier.
The joint training event served as example of the importance of building relationships and rapport
across different military services to enhance overall readiness.
“There's no official agreement between the 433rd and Task Force 51,” said Brent Harrington, Task Force
51 deputy chief of staff. “The relationship was built based on connections between members of both
organizations, so we established this mutually beneficial training event based off personalities.”
Newman echoed Harrington’s sentiment and praised the efforts of the service members who worked
together to make the training happen.
“The 433rd actually made it very easy,” Newman said. “These are not normally easy things because we
are multicomponent, we've got Reserve Component, Active Component, some of us are even from the
National Guard. Getting all of these entities working together in a resource constrained environment
can be difficult, but they've made it very easy for us and we've been very pleased."
| Date Taken: | 05.20.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 05.28.2024 16:32 |
| Story ID: | 472369 |
| Location: | SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 32 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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