MOBILITYTHE MAGAZINE OF AIR MOBILITYFORUM COMMAND | SPRING 2020 Agile, Prepared, Responsive: Readiness as an Asymmetric Advantage 2019 SAFETY AWARD WINNERS Pages 20-29 With Dedicated Airmen, Team McConnell Conquers Challenges THE Volume 29, No. 1 MOBILITY Spring 2020 FORUM CONTENTS AIR MOBILITY COMMAND Gen Maryanne Miller DIRECTOR OF SAFETY Col Brandon R. Hileman [email protected] EDITORS Kim Knight [email protected] Sherrie Schatz 5 21 32 34 Sheree Lewis [email protected] FROM THE TOP SEASONAL 36 515th Air Mobility GRAPHIC DESIGN Operations Wing Elizabeth Bailey 3 Agile, Prepared, CONSIDERATIONS Operation Christmas Responsive: Readiness 15 Gone in a Flash: Flash Drop 2019 The Mobility Forum (TMF) is published as an Asymmetric Floods Can Endanger four times a year by the Director of Advantage You and Your Property at Safety, Air Mobility Command, Scott a Moment’s Notice AMC HERITAGE AFB, IL. The contents are informative and 5 Brig Gen Charles Bolton, not regulatory or directive. Viewpoints Vice Commander of 32 Airlift’s First Female expressed are those of the authors and the 18th Air Force, Talks AMC NEWS Aircraft Maintenance do not necessarily reflect the policy Officer, Pilot, and of AMC, USAF, or any DoD agency. Readiness Advocacy 18 Prince Sultan Air Base Aerial Port Squadron 7 Cybersecurity at the Reopened by the 621st Contributions: Please email articles and Commander photos to [email protected], 375th Air Mobility Wing, Contingency Response fax to (580) 628-2011, or mail to Scott Air Force Base, IL Support Squadron REGULAR FEATURES Schatz Publishing, 11950 W. Highland 20 AMC’s Annual 2019 Ave., Blackwell, OK 74631. For RISK MANAGEMENT questions call (580) 628-4607. TMF Safety Award Winners 38 Mishap-Free Flying editors reserve the right to make 9 Pitot Static Woes: Are 21 Safety Office of the Year: Hour Milestones editorial changes to manuscripts. You Prepared? 22d Air Refueling Wing, 39 Quickstoppers DE denotes digitally enhanced photo. McConnell Air Force 40 A Day in the Life Subscriptions: U.S. Government FLIGHT SAFETY Base, KS Publishing Office: 2020-745-102/10019. 23 AMC’s Annual 2019 ON THE COVER For sale by the Superintendent of 12 Pilot Monitoring Documents, U.S. Government Publishing During Flight Individual and Team A C-17 Globemaster from Office. Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov. 16 The 618th Air Operations Safety Award Winners McChord AFB, WA, flies over Phone: toll free (866) 512-1800; DC area the flight line during Air Mobility (202) 512-1800. Fax: (202) 512-2104. Center, Scott Air Force 30 With Dedicated Airmen, Command’s Mobility Guardian Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC Base, IL, Works Through Team McConnell 2019 at Fairchild AFB, WA, Sept 20402-0001. Obstacles to Make the Conquers Challenges 10, 2019. AMC RP 91-2. Dist: X Mission Happen USAF photo by 34 2d Phoenix Spark Tank ISSN 1559-159X and the U.S. Air Force Amn Kiaundra Miller Spark Tank Competitions Visit www.themobilityforum.net for current and past editions of THE The Mobility Forum. MOBILITYTHE MAGAZINE OF AIR MOBILITY COMMAND FORUM Send comments or feedback to THE MOBILITYTHE MAGAZINE OF AIR MOBILITY COMMAND FORUM [email protected]. THE MOBILITYTHE MAGAZINE OF AIR MOBILITY COMMAND FORUM THE MOBILITYTHE MAGAZINE OF AIR MOBILITY COMMAND FORUM Stay up-to-date on happenings around AMC via these outlets: www.facebook.com/theofficialairmobilitycommand www.twitter.com/airmobilitycmd www.youtube.com/MobilityAirman 2 The Mobility Forum FROM THE TOP Gen Maryanne Miller Agile, Prepared, Responsive: Readiness as an Asymmetric Advantage Right Effects. Right Goldfein, Air Force Chief of Staff, in place since 1992’s Dream Team. refers to the 43 quintillion possible Despite Team USA’s roster having the Place. Right Time. combinations of a Rubik’s cube as youngest and most athletic players to an analogy for the multiplicative ever play the game, the team was not These three “rights” describe the operational combinations our as prepared as those of Puerto Rico, characteristics that make the mobility Joint Force must present to our Lithuania, and Argentina, who had all mission a strategic advantage in the adversaries. Like a neural network defeated us in the games. defense of our nation. Woven together, able to anticipate and exploit the these “rights” create synergy as we weaknesses of an opponent, an agile Like a championship team, diligent project decisive strength across Joint Force shapes conflict through preparation is required for our Air contested domains—our Vision. Yet, rapid adaptation and compounds the Mobility Command (AMC) team to without a state of readiness this stressors levied on an enemy system. achieve the right effects. If we want to synergy is not possible. As Mobility reap the benefits of agility, we must Warriors, we must remain focused on Agile operations put our enemy “on sow the hard work of preparation guaranteeing these “rights” every day. the horns of multiple dilemmas.” Like now. Though we are not currently As we continue to make progress in putting money in the bank, agility is engaged in conventional state-on-state each of our command’s six priorities, the currency with which we operate war, the geopolitical climate should I want to adjust our focus and examine in the information age. This is what it prompt us to remain vigilant and a few aspects of readiness fundamental means to move at the speed of war. carefully assess our weak areas. We to a lethal force. must not delay—now is the time to Prepared. Anyone familiar with mend the nets. Agile. Readiness enables agility and team sports understands that practice makes us able to change faster than the is essential in order to work together. changing environment around us. As The results are devastating when the Photo above: C-130Js, KC-135s, C-17s, and a we consider the challenges inherent to team is not prepared. During the 2004 KC-30 line up on the flight line during Mobility Guardian 2019 at Fairchild AFB, WA. The interstate competition, we recognize Olympics, I remember watching the aircraft taxied in an “elephant walk” formation, the need for our actions in the USA men’s basketball team bring in which multiple aircraft lined up on the flight battlespace to occur more quickly than home the bronze medal breaking line and flew in formation. our enemy can anticipate. Gen David our gold medal winning streak USAF photo by SrA Kristine M. Gruwell Spring 2020 3 FROM THE TOP Each of our functional communities Readiness is more than the color green on a enjoys the benefit of carefully developed training programs—and stoplight chart; the Airman who is prepared our training is truly world class! Readiness is the desired end state of all in body, mind, and soul is truly ready to training efforts; however, functionally prescribed training is only one element execute the mission in peace, in war, and of preparedness. Each Airman must be fit in mind, body, and soul to be everywhere in between. ready to handle the costs of conflict. As wingmen, we need to help each other build this comprehensive fitness by We are making progress every day to was still enroute—and restore the sharing our weaknesses and working set the conditions for future success. legitimate president to power. The together to improve. This also means It is essential that we all understand strategic end state of Operation that we fight for excellence regardless our current environment and the Uphold Democracy was achieved of what the training tables indicate, parameters in which we operate. These without firing a shot, a reality made never settling for the minimum tools set us on the right heading. possible by the readiness of our Joint standard. This ethos maximizes the Force, empowered by Mobility Airmen strengths of the team and will set us on Responsive. Readiness has always who were ready for action.1 the course to superior lethality. been an asymmetric advantage. Not only does it have deterrent value, For the many ways we quantify unit The headquarters staff is also working it also pays dividends in combat readiness measurements, there is also hard to ensure our support networks responsiveness. AMC provides a qualitative standard incumbent on are prepared for the full spectrum of Rapid Global Mobility not just for each of us to measure individually. conflict. With the 2019 Warfighting the Air Force, but for the Joint Force. We must consider the high threshold Headquarters Transformation In this role, we are busy supporting of preparedness essential for an agile complete, the staff is poised for operations around the globe, 365 days force and ask ourselves if we are as decision dominance with the Air a year. Every day, our Joint Force prepared as we could be for operations Force Forces (AFFOR), the Organize, depends on support from AMC— in every phase of war. Readiness is Train, and Equip (OT&E), and the America’s Mobility Warriors—to more than the color green on a stoplight 618th Air Operations Center processes achieve mission success. Success in chart; the Airman who is prepared in streamlined into a comprehensive the future fight requires us to always body, mind, and soul is truly ready to battle-rhythm, which aligns be ready. To be victorious, we must set execute the mission in peace, in war, operational processes to the 2018 our aim on mastering the skills needed and everywhere in between. A mobility National Defense Strategy and our for every environment we might face. force comprised of such Airmen is rich AMC Vision. Utilizing cross-functional Consider an example from our not-so- in the elements of readiness—agility, experts and careful planning, we have distant history.