News>Reserve Special Mission Units meet at Peterson
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Master Sgt. Edward Scherzer, 53d Weather Reconnaissance Squadron loadmaster, demonstrates how he prepares a dropsonde for launch into a hurricane. The dropsonde gathers barametric pressure, temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, which helps weather forcasters better predict weather models. The demonstration was part of the Air Force Reserve Command's first ever C-130 Special Mission Conference at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., Jan. 12-13, 2010. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Marnee A.C. Losurdo)
A cameraman with KOAA, NBC affiliate, takes footage of aircraft used in three of the Air Force Reserve Command's special missions, which include weather reconnaissance, aerial spray and aerial firefighting. Airmen and aircraft from the 302nd Airlift Wing here, the 403rd Wing, Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., and the 910th Airlift Wing, Youngstown Air Reserve Base, Ohio, convened at Peterson AFB for AFRC's first ever C-130 Special Missions conference Jan. 12-13. The conference is designed to share lessons learned, policies and procedures and tackle common support and wing issues. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Daniel Butterfield)
Airmen and aircraft from the 302nd Airlift Wing here, the 403rd Wing, Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., and the 910th Airlift Wing, Youngstown Air Reserve Base, Ohio, convened at Peterson Air Force Base for the first ever AFRC C-130 Special Missions Conference to share lessons learned, policies and procedures and tackle common support and wing issues. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Daniel Butterfield)
1/12/2011 - PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo -- Airmen and aircraft from three Air Force Reserve Command special mission units convened for the first-ever AFRC C-130 Special Mission Conference here Jan. 12-13.
Airmen representing the weather, wildfire and aerial spray missions convened at Peterson for the conference. The conference brought together wildfire experts from the 302nd Airlift Wing here, hurricane hunters from the 403rd Wing, Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. andaerial spray experts from the 910th Airlift Wing, Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, to share lessons learned, policies and procedures as well as tackle common support and wing issues.
"Military support to civil authorities has become a complex operation. It's important for us to bring experts from these specialized missions together to talk about what works and what doesn't as well as what needs to be improved," said Maj. Gen. James Rubeor, commander of 22nd Air Force.
AFRC contributes 100 percent of the U.S. Air Force weather reconnaissance and aerial spray capabilities and 25 percent of the Air Force's Modular Airborne Firefighting System capabilities. All three missions provide significant contributions to our nation's Defense Support to Civil Authorities missions. "We have unique skills within the Air Force Reserve, and in these three missions in particular, which helps bring federal military support quickly and efficiently to civil authorities in their time of need," said General Rubeor. The. 22nd Air Force is the parent command of all three of the special mission units.
Whether a wildfire, hurricane, or oil spill occurs, the Air Force Reserve Comand has units it can deploy quickly to combat nature's fury.
"The missions that you do are critical to our nation; missions our country has come to depend upon. Our goal is to help you do the mission, not better because you are already doing great, but help the process, that's what this conference is for," said Maj. Gen. Wallace Farris, director, Air, Space and Information Operations at Headquarters, AFRC, Robins Air Force Base, Ga.
Colorado's 302nd AW is the only AF Reserve unit with the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System program designed to aid the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. Typically, when all other civilian air tankers are activated but further assistance is needed, the U.S. Forest Service can request the aid of the U.S. Air Force's MAFFS flying units.
The 403rd Wing Hurricane Hunters provide command and staff supervision in support of weather reconnaissance and is the only Department of Defense unit tasked to organize, equip, train and perform all hurricane weather reconnaissance in support of the Department of Commerce. The 403rd Wing is responsible for coordination, collecting and communicating critical weather data to the National Hurricane Center during flights into hurricanes and tropical storms.
The 910th Airlift Wing provides mission ready forces, airlift and aerial spray operations and base operating support. The Department of Defense tasks the 910th AW to maintain the DoD's only large area fixed-wing aerial spray capability to control disease vectors, pests of vegetation and undesirable vegetations, and to disperse oil spills in large bodies of water. Missions may be executed in combat areas, on DoD installations or in response to Presidential declared disasters/emergencies.
Topics at the conference will include legal parameters, financial issues, interagency agreements and relationships, command and control agreements, public affairs and logistics support, among others.
