Reflecting on 2019, Travis AFB ready for a new decade

  • Published
  • By Col. Jeffrey Nelson
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Commander

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Happy New Year! I hope that each and every one of you had an opportunity to rest and recharge over the holiday season, and are ready to hit the ground running in 2020. If it is anything like 2019, it should be a challenging but rewarding year for the 60th Air Mobility Wing. I am excited to lead you into a new decade! It will be a proud yet bittersweet moment when I pass the guidon this summer. I have never been more impressed with a group of professionals – your accomplishments in 2019 alone speak volumes to the level of excellence that has become the standard here at Travis Air Force Base, California. I would like to take a moment to highlight some of these major milestones.

 

As a wing, we hosted our largest airshow to date, welcoming over 135,000 visitors to Travis Air Force Base over a two day period. Thunder Over the Bay was a massive success—highlights included the USAF Thunderbirds, our own “Parade of Heavies” and even a visit from actor Chris Pratt! Base-wide, our airmen consistently proved themselves as the best in the Department of Defense, the Air Force and Air Mobility Command winning multiple awards at each level. These include being named the number one Open Skies Treaty hub in the Department of Defense, the 60th Maintenance Squadron receiving the Top Maintenance Effectiveness Award and the 6th Air Refueling Squadron winning the Brigadier General Hoyt Aircrew award.

 

The 60th Operations Group enabled rapid global mobility, supporting the fight at home and abroad. Over the course of the year, the 6th and 9th Air Refueling Squadrons deployed 282 members to Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, in support of Operations INHERENT RESOLVE and FREEDOM’S SENTINEL. The KC-10s also played a role in several exercises throughout the year, honing their tactical capabilities and growing international partnerships. One of the year’s biggest events was Exercise TALISMAN SABRE, a biennial combined Australian-U.S. endeavor in Brisbane, Australia, in which Team Travis KC-10s refueled 141 receiver aircraft. The 21st Airlift Squadron continued to raise the bar for military airlift, as our C-17s were some of the first to respond, providing humanitarian aid in the wake of Cyclone Idai, the deadliest cyclone ever recorded in the Southwest Indian Ocean. Two crews were quickly deployed to Djibouti, where they ran continuous shuttles in and out of Mozambique, delivering over 250,000 pounds of food and supplies. The 21st also piloted a key defense mission delivering vital equipment to Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands in support of the U.S. Army and the Missile Defense Agency, who were conducting interception tests on Terminal High Altitude Air Defense, or THAAD systems. These tests were conducted in response to the growing threat of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles in Southeast Asia. The 22nd Airlift Squadron led the charge in innovation this year, developing the Mulie Leadership Development Course in partnership with prominent Silicon Valley agencies. They are also in the process of incorporating a 360-degree feedback program to allow members to develop and receive immediate feedback from supervisors, peers and subordinates. Last year, the 22nd also transported a $1.5 billion dollar NASA satellite, airlifted over 100 U.S. Army helicopters and played a key role in the build-up of Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, deploying five contingency response wing packages and 800,000 pounds of cargo.

 

Our 60th Maintenance Group worked tirelessly to keep our aircraft mission ready. The 60th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron generated 46 Special Assignment Airlift Missions, including supporting the transport of a 47,000 pound mobile command center for classified operations. They were also instrumental in maintaining a mission capable jet during the Aerial Refueling Certification process between the C-5M Super Galaxy and the KC-46 Pegasus. In the wake of an on-duty mishap, the 60th Maintenance Squadron’s Electrical and Environmental section spent the majority of 2019 critically reviewing their processes and correcting their discrepancies. They were able to identify 65 component deficiencies and have fully corrected 21 of the 65, with another 24 corrections pending approval. These men and women have shown time and again their dedication to providing the safest and most reliable equipment to Team Travis. The 60th Aerial Port Squadron remains the Department of Defense’s strategic port for Pacific operations. This year, they moved 46,000 tons of cargo and 24,000 passengers over 8,000 total missions. One of their most important missions included loading cargo on the first KC-46 cargo test to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility, resulting in aircraft modifications to ensure the KC-46 would be able to safely airlift cargo as it enters operational duty. The 60th MXG quality assurance section oversaw a training initiative, creating “YouTube” style video clips to supplement technical orders and highlight best practices. These videos have enabled maintainers to bridge the gap between initial qualification and proficiency. Overall, 2019 was an incredibly productive and innovative year for the Maintenance Group.

 

For the 60th Medical Group, 2019 was a year of organizational change, as David Grant USAF Medical Center became the first Air Force hospital to usher in the new electronic health record, MHS GENESIS. A commercial off-the-shelf product, MHS GENESIS offers improved patient safety features and standardized workflows. When deployment across the Military Health System and Veterans Affairs is complete, MHS GENESIS will provide an integrated health care system for service members, retirees, families and veterans. In addition, October 2019 marked the official transition of DGMC to align under the authority, direction and control of the Defense Health Agency to create a unified Military Health System across all service branches. While navigating these significant changes, the outstanding medics of the 60th MDG never wavered in their commitment to delivering trusted care. They met or exceeded standards during several accreditation surveys, including the Joint Commission, College of American Pathologists and the Commission on Dental Accreditation, and were recognized with 29 major command level awards. Additionally, the bioenvironmental flight was awarded first place at the Team Aerospace Operations Solution (TAOS) conference in the Occupational Health category and Tech. Sgt. Rhianna Scott won the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States Lewis J. Seaman Junior Enlisted Award. DGMC continues to lead the Air Force as a readiness platform through the delivery of trusted care. In addition to deploying 207 medics to CENTCOM, INDOPACOM and U.S. Africa Command areas of responsibility, Critical Care Air Transport Teams from the 60th MDG deployed in support of Hurricane Dorian recovery. As part of their readiness training, DGMC engaged in exercises such as Air Mobility Command's Mobility Guardian. During that exercise, DGMC medics moved 1,511 exercise patients via 63 missions. They also tested a Proof of Concept dealing with patient movement on an airframe never before used for that mission set. DGMC medics also participated in U.S. Transportation Command Turbo Distribution, providing rapid medical clearance for 121 Contingency Response Wing personnel. Leveraging civilian partnerships, DGMC medics also participated in disaster sustainment training with UC Davis Hospital and North Bay Medical Center to solidify emergency response plans.

 

The 60th Mission Support Group enhanced mission sustainment through a culture of innovation and a number of firsts for Team Travis. The 60th Logistics Readiness Squadron trained an elite team of six fuels specialists, who earned Air Mobility Command’s first win at the Southwest “ROADEO” functional competition – beating out nine other bases. They also implemented the 60th Air Mobility Wing’s first Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement program, which enables Travis Air Force Base to serve as a logistics support hub for foreign aircraft. The 60th Civil Engineer Squadron faced multiple obstacles over the course of 2019, including higher-than-normal civilian attrition rates and a surge in deployments. However, they overcame these limitations and were entrusted to install three electrical circuits which energized $500,000 in equipment for the base’s first-ever Federal Aviation Administration-certified 3D printer for the 60th Maintenance Squadron – all in under 72 hours. They were also able to demolish several structures, remove hazardous materials and overhaul the fire and electrical systems in an aircraft hangar. Their ability to complete this effort in-house rather than contracting the work saved the base over $230,000. These accomplishments by the 60th CES played a key role in their AMC win for Best Large Civil Engineer Squadron for 2019.

 

The 60th Comptroller Squadron and the Wing Staff Agencies continued to provide outstanding support across the wing and installation.  The 60th Comptroller Squadron led the fiscal year 2019 closeout and ensured we were prepared to accept additional end-of-year funding. The Phoenix Spark Innovation office executed multiple events and projects that had a direct impact on our wing's mission, morale, and operational capability. They also had a booth at the Airlift/Tanker Association convention where they were able to share past and current projects with attendees.

 

The information above captures only a small portion of the hard work each of your units accomplished in 2019. Each mission partner, wing staff agency, group, squadron and individual at Travis should be as proud as I am of our accomplishments in 2019. Your innovative spirit and ability to “hack the mission” is second to none, and we continue to set the standard of excellence in AMC as we usher in a new year and new decade. I know we stand ready to face each new opportunity and challenge with the same confidence and enthusiasm from this past year. Here at Team Travis, we will continue to be America’s premier power projection platform. I look forward to the new heights we will reach in 2020 – No Bounds!