Photo By Staff Sgt. Joshua Crossman | Brig. Gen. Stephen Snelson, U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center commander, and Chief...... read more read more
Brig. Gen. Stephen Snelson, U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Dennis Fuselier, USAFEC command chief, visited Airmen from the 728th Air Mobility Squadron at Incirlik Air Base, Türkiye, April 14, 2025.
This visit was a part of a larger immersion for the 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing to gain a greater understanding of the vital support the wing provides to the Air Force’s overall mission of Rapid Global Mobility.
At Incirlik, Snelson and Fuselier had the opportunity to connect more closely with Airmen stationed at one of nine geographically separated units of the 521st AMOW. The 728th AMS provides both en-route maintenance and aerial port support which ensures that mission essential cargo and aircraft arrives to the Joint force wherever it’s needed.
“We saw how our 728th AMS Airmen embody the Air Force’s focus on mission ready and multi capable airmen. Those concepts have been in their ethos since the very beginning of the 728th,” Snelson said. “Airmen are always looking at their operational environment to see what needs to get done, whether that task is their dedicated job or not. We were proud to see our 728th AMS Airmen use every aircraft touchpoint as a training opportunity, while also ensuring the aircraft are loaded, refueled and repaired when needed, so we keep our Joint force on the move.”
As a critical node within the larger Global Air Mobility Support System (GAMSS) that enables the total force to project, connect, maneuver, and sustain combat power anywhere around the globe, the 728th AMS maintains a high operational tempo and consistent performance through a strong unit culture that emphasizes training, development, and dependability.
“As we look at the [521st] Air Mobility Operations Wing and the en-route part of the GAMSS system, Incirlik is a vital node of what we would call the stop gap, a shock absorber for flow and velocity of people and cargo flowing into and out of theater,” Fuselier said. It's really neat to see what a small but mighty team are able to execute as we send folks out.”
The command team mentioned the 728th AMS exemplify themselves as true professionals but are also known throughout the 521st AMOW and Incirlik Air Base for their strong morale.
“The Damn Straight culture is incredibly impressive, the 728th AMS has got it right,” Fuselier said. “There is something special about this unit and its culture. We have a lot of junior airmen here on their first assignment who are mission focused and know what right looks like because of the training and development that goes on here. They have asked us some hard strategic questions and that is not by happenstance.”
Snelson highlighted the importance of relationships by speaking to the support that the 728 AMS receives both from the 39th Air Base Wing and local nationals.
“You know, being a tenant organization isn't always easy,” Snelson said. “And what we have seen throughout particularly this AOR, is the host installations treat our Airmen like their own. They support them. They take care of them. They house them. You name it. This is our chance to come here and to thank those leaders.”
The 39 ABW is responsible for defending NATO’s southern flank, and the 728 AMS plays a large part in ensuring that mission is accomplished.
| Date Taken: | 04.14.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.25.2025 09:42 |
| Story ID: | 496184 |
| Location: | RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, DE |
| Web Views: | 46 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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