Members of the 86th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 37th Airlift Squadron help load cargo into a C-130J Super Hercules on the flightline at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Jan. 7, 2013. The 86th Airlift Wing provides support to the NATO led coalition that will augment Turkey's air defense capabilities and contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the border. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Holly Cook) 86th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron maintainers perform routine repairs on a C-5 Galaxy at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Jan. 8, 2013. The 86th Airlift Wing provides support to the NATO led coalition that will augment Turkey's air defense capabilities and contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the border. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Senior Airman Caitlin O’Neil-McKeown) Members of the 86th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 37th Airlift Squadron help load cargo onto a C-5 Galaxy at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Jan. 8, 2013. The 86th Airlift Wing provides support to the NATO led coalition that will augment Turkey's air defense capabilities and contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the border. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Senior Airman Caitlin O’Neil-McKeown) Cargo is loaded into a C-5 Galaxy at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Jan. 8, 2013. The 86th Airlift Wing provides support to the NATO led coalition that will augment Turkey's air defense capabilities and contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the border. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Caitlin O’Neil-McKeown) Cargo is loaded into a C-5 Galaxy at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Jan. 8, 2013. The 86th Airlift Wing provides support to the NATO led coalition that will augment Turkey's air defense capabilities and contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the border. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Caitlin O’Neil-McKeown) Senior Airman Cory Reinhardt, 721 Aerial Port Squadron, spots a vehicle driver as cargo is loaded into a C-5 Galaxy at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Jan. 8, 2013. The 86th Airlift Wing provides support to the NATO led coalition that will augment Turkey's air defense capabilities and contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the border. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Caitlin O’Neil-McKeown) Cargo is loaded into a C-5 Galaxy at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Jan. 8, 2013. The 86th Airlift Wing provides support to the NATO led coalition that will augment Turkey's air defense capabilities and contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the border. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Caitlin O’Neil-McKeown) A C-130J Super Hercules awaits the arrival of its cargo on the flightline at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Jan. 7, 2013. The 86th Airlift Wing provides support to the NATO led coalition that will augment Turkey's air defense capabilities and contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the border. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Holly Cook) Members of the 86th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 37th Airlift Squadron help load cargo into a C-130J Super Hercules on the flightline at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Jan. 7, 2013. The 86th Airlift Wing provides support to the NATO led coalition that will augment Turkey's air defense capabilities and contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the border. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Holly Cook) Members of the 86th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 37th Airlift Squadron help load cargo into a C-130J Super Hercules on the flightline at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Jan. 7, 2013. The 86th Airlift Wing provides support to the NATO led coalition that will augment Turkey's air defense capabilities and contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the border. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Holly Cook) Members of the 86th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 37th Airlift Squadron help load cargo into a C-130J Super Hercules on the flightline at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Jan. 7, 2013. The 86th Airlift Wing provides support to the NATO led coalition that will augment Turkey's air defense capabilities and contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the border. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Holly Cook) Members of the 86th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 37th Airlift Squadron help load cargo into a C-130J Super Hercules on the flightline at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Jan. 7, 2013. The 86th Airlift Wing provides support to the NATO led coalition that will augment Turkey's air defense capabilities and contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the border. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Holly Cook) U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Pablo Coffie, 627th Movement Control Team forklift operator, transports pallets of equipment on Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Jan. 9, 2013. The 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command forces will support the NATO led coalition that will augment Turkey’s air defense capabilities and contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the border. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Caitlin O’Neil-McKeown) U.S. Army Spc. Gregory Brinson and Staff Sgt. Paul Emory, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, stack deployment bags on a pallet on Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Jan. 9, 2013. The 10th AAMDC forces will support the NATO led coalition that will augment Turkey’s air defense capabilities and contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the border. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Caitlin O’Neil-McKeown) U.S Army Spc. Wendy Standley, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, secures a pallet for transportation on Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Jan. 9, 2013. The 10th AAMDC forces will support the NATO led coalition that will augment Turkey’s air defense capabilities and contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the border. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Caitlin O’Neil-McKeown) Cargo is loaded onto a C-5 Galaxy at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Jan. 9, 2013. The 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command forces will support the NATO led coalition that will augment Turkey’s air defense capabilities and contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the border. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Caitlin O’Neil-McKeown) Cargo is loaded onto a C-5 Galaxy at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Jan. 9, 2013. The 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command forces will support the NATO led coalition that will augment Turkey’s air defense capabilities and contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the border. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Caitlin O’Neil-McKeown) Members of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command board a C-5 Galaxy on Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Jan. 9, 2013. The 10th AAMDC forces will support the NATO led coalition that will augment Turkey’s air defense capabilities and contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the border. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Caitlin O’Neil-McKeown) Team Ramstein supports NATO with Patriot deployment to Turkey by Senior Airman Aaron-Forrest Wainwright 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs 1/9/2013 - RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany -- A C-5 Galaxy from the 521st Air Mobility Wing, bound for Turkey, left here today with service members and supplies for the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command in support of NATO's Patriot Missile Battery deployment. The flight followed an earlier delivery of equipment by an 86th Airlift Wing C-130J Super Hercules on Jan. 7. "The 10th AAMDC is sending a small contingency of personnel ... to provide command and control for Patriot batteries that are coming over from the continental United States to provide missile defense for our allies in Turkey," said Maj. Joel Johnson, 10th AAMDC operations officer. With Syria entering its 22nd month of civil war, the U.S. began deploying Patriot missiles into Turkey in an effort to help defend the NATO ally from potential threats of the Syrian conflict. In a recent statement from Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Panetta affirmed U.S. commitment to Turkey. "We've made very clear ... we're going to protect countries in this region," Panetta said last month. "We have to act ... to make sure that we defend ourselves and make sure that Turkey can defend itself." The deployment of U.S. forces was approved after coordination between the Department of Defense and NATO. "Supporting missions like this is something I've been doing my whole career and I love doing it; being able to be a part of helping an ally, it's a great honor," said Tech Sgt. Scott Blais, a flight engineer with the 337th Airlift Squadron, Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass. "This mission is important because we are supporting our allies in Europe and the U.S. government feels that this is important for us to do it." Ramstein Air Base's support is pivotal in delivering combat and humanitarian airlift throughout Europe, Africa and Southwest Asia. "As the gateway to Eurasia, Africa, and the Middle East, we enable the deployment of strategic capabilities, said Brig. Gen. C.K. Hyde, 86th AW wing commander. "We are committed to the success of our joint force and allies and are always ready to partner with them to achieve our common security objectives."