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France's Intervention in Mali

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France's Intervention in Mali Mission to rance’s intervention in Mali though France has cargo aircraft—and three strategic areas, but not as widely earlier this year—helping its even KC-135 strategic air refueling as the USAF does.” former colony defend against aircraft to move its equipment long The US assistance was nothing less Islamic extremists—didn’t get distances—mobility support is exactly than essential in allowing the operation Fthe media attention lavished on the what France received from the US, to proceed, the French offi cial said. overthrow of Libyan dictator Muammar along with intelligence, surveillance, The C-17 was the main tool used by Qaddafi or the crisis in Syria. But the and reconnaissance assistance. American forces early in the confl ict to Mali mission has so far proved success- “We can emphasize the very sub- transport French troops and cargo into ful, and likely because of the substantial stantial and helpful support the USAF Mali, and US C-130s have been used to help France got from the US—largely is providing to the French in Mali in move people and equipment around the through the Air Force. terms of ISR, air-to-air refueling, and country throughout the last 10 months. France sent fi ghter aircraft and troops logistic transport assets,” said a French The intervention has been effective to Mali, along with various ground Embassy spokesman. “The French air at restoring civilian government and vehicles and all the related gear. Al- force possesses its own assets in those limiting the political power of potential The French got a big boost from USAF tankers and airlifters in this year’s fi ght against Islamic extremists. Two French Rafale fi ghters fade back after refueling from a USAF KC-135 over Mali. 46 AIR FORCE Magazine / November 2013 Mali By Gabe Starosta terrorists in North Africa. In aircraft relied heavily on American achieve their missions, and fly back to May, French Defense Minis- KC-135 refueling tankers to extend N’Djamena,” Leger said. “Many of those ter Jean-Yves le Drian visited their missions. missions needed not less than three or Washington, D.C., and expressed Justine Leger, a spokeswoman for the four in-flight refuelings in order to get how satisfied his department had French government in Paris, explained a significant time over the engagement been with the Pentagon’s—and that French fighters staged their mis- area. In that sense, the US assistance mainly the Air Force’s—coop- sions from N’Djamena, the capital city has been very helpful.” eration in the critical opening of Chad, separated from Mali by Niger. She said the French engaged around months of the campaign. Mali’s large size (about twice the size of half their own refueling fleet in the In the early, most dangerous Texas) made aerial tanking a necessity. operation and that in the first six weeks days of Operation Serval, the “The commitment of US tankers of Serval, American C-17s flew 120 sor- name given by France to the [contributed to] French combat aircraft ties transporting troops and equipment military intervention against ter- capacity to perform the two hours into North Africa in addition to the Air rorists in Mali, French fighter of flight from N’Djamena to Mali, Force’s tanking mission. USAF photo by 1st Lt. Christopher Mesnard AIR FORCE Magazine / November 2013 47 USAF photo by 1st Lt. Christopher Mesnard A1C Anthony Ellsworth extends the boom and drogue on a KC-135 as French fighters position for a refill. The Air Force had three contingency to be,” he said. “In our mission plan- aircraft, and that was part of what my response groups of the 621st Contin- ning phase, we looked at the various team did.” gency Response Wing at JB McGuire- different airfields we could potentially After clearing the vehicles for Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., on call for just end up going into in Africa to support transport aboard C-17s, the Air Force this sort of overseas pop-up situation. the French.” promptly started moving them to Ba- Oliver, now a division chief at the mako, Mali’s capital. The airfield there A Dozen Vehicles Every Hour service’s air and space operations center was also in good condition, and France On Jan. 14, Col. Kevin Oliver and (AOC) in Hawaii, said the Istres airfield had already opened it for normal opera- his roughly 100 people were preparing was in extremely good condition and tions, making USAF’s job easier. to rotate off alert status and hand the that American forces had operated out The team spent five days in Bamako. on-call duties to another CRG. Four of that location in the past. His 12-man Their greatest contribution was helping days later, however, Oliver was in the team’s jobs included confirming that to work out efficient aircraft parking south of France and, shortly after that, the airfield could handle the weight and and scheduling arrangements. USAF in Mali setting up the support elements dimensions of C-17 airlifters; working also sent one representative to a French of US assistance to France. out an aircraft parking arrangement with transport control center in Paris to serve On receiving a formal request for help France to avoid bottlenecks; installing as the aircraft scheduler for all air traffic from the French government, USAF basic aircraft scheduling capabilities; in and out of Bamako. alerted the three CRGs. Their most setting up living quarters for them- That involved planning for the basic mission—among a vast portfolio selves, maintainers, and flight crews; arrival and departure of American of responsibilities—is to open and set up and establishing work space for aircraft and French aircraft, as well as C- airfields when new operations begin. A maintainers and flight crews alike. 130s operated by African nations portion of Oliver’s 818th CRG deployed Crucially, the 818th was responsible and Russian-type airplanes flown by to an air base in Istres, France, on the for working with the French army to other parties contributing to France’s country’s south coast, on Jan. 18. The determine what equipment it needed military intervention, including some entire group numbers about 175 people, moved into Mali and when. That process larger than the C-17. with 100 on alert at a time. began with a large quantity of military By the end of the 818th’s 30-day The team spent four days mission vehicles. deployment, US aircraft had flown planning and preparing to depart, but “Every hour, another dozen vehicles 190 sorties, transported 1,480 French did so with only a vague idea of what would show up,” Oliver said. “Just troops, and moved 2,400 tons—almost tasks the Air Force would be asked to looking at the marshaling yard there, five million pounds—of cargo and perform on their arrival, Oliver said. they had enough vehicles to probably equipment into Mali. “When we went out the door, we sustain an airlift flow for a month, easy. That initial support was sufficiently weren’t sure where we were going to The challenge was that these vehicles helpful to the French, so the Air Force go or what the requirements were going needed to be certified to fly on US decided not to deploy either of the other 48 AIR FORCE Magazine / November 2013 USAF photo by MSgt. Brian Bahret USAF photo by MSgt. Brian Bahret USAF SSgt. Merrill Slepica secures SrA. Christopher Tolleson greets a Liberian truck in the cargo bay of a Liberian soldiers as they board a USAF USAF C-17. C-17 on their way to Bamako, Mail. two American CRGs that had been at the AOC, said the Mali mission has military requirements differ somewhat activated in January. relied heavily on a fleet of C-130 air- from established American protocols, “That really closed out what the French lifters assigned to the region. forcing both sides to adapt, but there requirements were, so there was no need “On a given day, there are approxi- has been virtually no language barrier for a follow-on group to come in behind mately six C-130s that are available between the allied airmen. us,” Oliver said. to support both [US] Africa Com- “Really learning how the French The 818th, encompassing specialists in mand [AFRICOM] and EUCOM [US develop requirements, their time lines, communications, airfield operations, and European Command], ... and they are and how to integrate that into our security forces, also included two civil the ones that are presently working to process, that is an ongoing issue,” he engineers with an unusual connection to support French requirements in Mali,” said. “It’s not something that I can the Mali operation. The engineers were he said. necessarily tell you, ‘It’s done, here’s part of a squadron within Oliver’s group the book, we’ve written it.’ But that is tasked with building up the capacity of Learning French an ongoing issue in how we develop African partner nations’ air operations. As the French or partner nations our capacity to support our partners Coincidentally, the two airmen had develop a need “to move troops or like the French.” recently been in Mali, giving them points perhaps baggage, ... those aircraft are It’s not commonly known, but Ameri- of contact, a general familiarity with the being tasked to support them, they are can airmen are still involved in Mali, region, and an increased level of expertise building the missions, obtaining the primarily providing intratheater airlift to share with the group. diplomatic clearances, scheduling the using C-130 aircraft.
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