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MOC: Connecting operations, maintenance one C-17 at a time

  • Published
  • By Patrick O'Reilly
  • 445th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  

While the 445th Airlift Wing has a heavy C-17 Globemaster III flying mission, there are many moving parts to ensure the wing’s success.

One such piece is the 445th Maintenance Operations Center which is the liaison between the maintenance and production organizations, maintaining an overview of all maintenance operations on the flightline for all 445th AW assets.

According to Senior Master Sgt. Kerry Penner, 445th MXG maintenance operations superintendent, the MOC is a focal point for communication and part of the 445th Maintenance Group unit control center.

All weather alerts for lightening, high winds tornados and storms, along with Inflight Emergency notifications that are broadcast over the radio by MOC personnel as maintainers, are often engrossed in repair and sortie production activities.

The primary mode of communication for the MOC is radio, as they broadcast alerts concerning any other type of emergency event such as active shooter, acts of terrorism and exercises.

Penner said the MOC is typically the first call any maintainer or technician makes if there is an accident, fire, fuel spill or some other emergency on the flightline or in a back shop that may require an emergency response such as fire department or ambulance. The center relays this important information to the appropriate response agency, supervision, commanders, Quality Assurance and Wing Safety as necessary.

The MOC uses a variety of checklists to ensure the appropriate response is initiated promptly and the necessary personnel are notified based on the nature of the emergency or situation, he added.

“Their area of responsibility primarily covers maintenance operations on the west ramp flight line, but the MOC also communicates with the maintenance back shops,” Penner said. “They are also responsible for facilitating communication with 445th Maintenance Group flying crew chiefs on globally tasked Air Mobility Command missions. The MOC also maintains and reports aircraft status for Air Force Reserve Command tasked 445th AW C-17 aircraft anywhere in the world.”

With such a huge scope of oversight, communication plays a key role.

“If we don’t get accurate information within the MOC, we cannot disseminate accurate information,” said Master Sgt. Chad Sears, 445th MOC production control supervisor. “In the event we receive inaccurate information, we have to hunt down the accurate information.”

During emergencies, the MOC runs through checklists and provides commanders with around-the-clock notifications. Furthermore, they coordinate with base agencies and first responders.

“With MOC personnel, flexibility is also quite important,” Sears said. “We were notified of an aircraft launch that would be taking place during an off weekend, so we were able to deviate a member’s schedule to facilitate that launch within a few hours of notification.”

The MOC is responsible for the wing’s nine C-17 aircraft. Sears said. As the MXG’s center for communications, the MOC plays a vital role in safeguarding the health and welfare of all maintenance personnel, as well as crewmembers who may be prepping/launching or returning from a sortie.

In addition, Sears said the MOC also facilitated aircraft generation for 1,240 sorties on 248 mission that transported 5,873 personnel and 18 million pounds of cargo in Fiscal Year 24. In FY 25, the MOC has already facilitated aircraft generation for 366 sorties on 60 missions that transported 1,687 personnel and 4.3 million pounds of cargo.