TACAMO detachment stands at the ready

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Raymond Hoy
  • 60th AMW Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Most people in the military are not fully aware of what it is like to be on full alert, but the people at the Navy VQ-3 detachment here know exactly what it’s like. 

“That alarm can go off at any time,” said Lt. Cmdr. Patrick Lehman, the officer in charge of the detachment. “It can go off while these guys are all sweaty at the gym or in the middle of a shower.” 

Although it can be stressful, it’s something that the aircrews assigned to VQ-3 are used to. Each crew spends almost two weeks per month on alert status. 

“You’ve got to be ready to go 24 hours a day,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Jonathan Scott, airborne communications supervisor. “You need to be rested and have your gear fully operational and out there ready to go at a moment’s notice.” 

“We’ve got to be able to be off the ground quickly,” he added. 

While most of their time spent at Travis is flying, aircrew members are provided with as many amenities as possible during their short stay at the detachment. The detachment has a mini theater, a full industrial galley, ping pong and pool tables and individual living quarters for each crewmember. 

“Travis is like our home away from home,” Petty Officer Scott said. “We try to put a lot of time and effort into keeping up the quality of life at the facility. We love coming here.” 

The detachment has been at Travis for 16 years and is one of three detachments that belong to the wing, which is located at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. 

“The mission of the wing is to ensure strategic communications between the president, the secretary of defense and all the nuclear forces of the nation,” said Commander Lehman. “Whether it is missile silos or submarines or bombers, our job is to ensure the president and the secretary of defense can get the message out that they want to get out.” 

The detachment’s “Take Charge and Move Out” mission is an aerial relay platform for important messages which the crew can transmit half way around the world from the air.
The crew flies the Boeing E-6B Mercury, which is the Navy’s largest aircraft. The aircraft is the world’s strongest electromagnetic pulse protected aircraft and contains four times the communications capability of a nuclear powered aircraft carrier. 

“We have antennas on the aircraft that are a couple of miles long that allows us to achieve a very low frequency so we can send the message a further distance,” explained Commander Lehman. 

The detachment here supports that mission. 

“Our job is to provide these crews with an alert facility to live in and maintenance and parts for the planes,” said Commander Lehman. 

The only people who are permanently assigned to the detachment are approximately 90 aircraft maintainers, security, administrative and communications personnel. 

While the mission importance is of the highest degree, and the stress levels can be elevated, the detachment members look forward to uneventful days. 

“The best thing that can happen for us is that nothing happens,” added Commander Lehman.