Reorganization looks to strengthen CRW

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Mark Harrison
  • 621st Air Mobility Advisory Group
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Earlier this year, major changes were made with the re-organization of the 621st Contingency Response Wing, creating a more streamlined and efficient combat organization.

At the same time, two historical events happened with the creation of two new Air Force units, the 621st Air Mobility Advisory Group and the 621st Mobility Support Operations Squadron.

The creation of the 621st AMAG, a bicoastal group, brings five squadrons under a single group commander, standardizing the execution of three of the contingency response mission sets. These sets are theater command and control with the Air Mobility Operations Squadrons, Building Partner Capacity with the Mobility Support Advisory Squadron and, finally, the Air Mobility Liaison Officer specialty under the Mobility Support Operations Squadron. All three mission sets are distinct and have not been unified under a single commander until now to deliver support to our combatant commanders.

The first of these units are the 15th and 21st Air Mobility Operations Squadrons, located at Travis Air Force Base, California, and Joint Base McGuire-Dix Lakehurst, New Jersey. These two squadrons are manned by Airmen who go out to man the Air Operations Centers around the globe during times of combat or crisis. These mobility experts provide the combat commander the planning expertise to execute the critical airlift, air refueling and aeromedical evacuation operations that lead to mission success.

Tied in with this capability are the air mobility liaison officers. Air Mobility Command's air mobility liaison officers compose the 621st MSOS. The creation of the 621st Mobility Support Operations Squadron brings all of these officers under a single commander for the first time in the Air Force's history.

These rated officers are embedded with United States Army and Marine Corps units around the globe providing knowledge to the ground force commanders on how to get their forces and equipment to the battle field. They provide the boots on the ground interface to ensure the mobility mission is successfully execute at the front lines. The final piece of this mobility triad is the air advisers.

The final two squadrons hold our diplomats in blue, the 571st and the 818th Mobility Support Advisory Squadrons. These two units reach out to partner nations across Central and South America as well as the African continent to help strengthen the capacity of these military forces. By executing their assist, advice and train mission, they reduce the reliance on forces of the United States and increase the self-reliance of these nations, bolstering their abilities to combat threats against their sovereignty, as well as the increasing partner nation's ability to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief both within and outside of their own nation.

With the creation of the 621st AMAG a strong force has been developed to execute three distinct air mobility missions under the contingency response wing. The efforts of this single group and five squadrons strengthen command and control at our Air Operation Centers, deliver air mobility to the front lines and enforce the regional combat commander's strategic visions in their respective area of responsibilities. The future looks to bring success for the contingency response wing as these capabilities are now streamlined under a single commander to execute any challenge the wing may face.