Airmen support sister services transiting

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Olufemi Owolabi
  • 65th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
LAJES FIELD, Azores --  More than 300 Soldiers, Sailors and Marines stopped here May 14 on their way to Africa for a training exercise that will help improve bilateral relations between the United States and the Kingdom of Morocco.

The U.S. service members were on their way to Exercise African Lion 2011, a U.S. Africa Command-sponsored annual exercise. The troops were attending the second phase of the exercise, which began May 16 and will be completed early June.

While here, Airmen of the 65th Air Base Wing provided a variety of services.

According to Capt. Gregory Ross, 729th Air Mobility Squadron's director of operations, the download of the troops from the aircraft and their transportation to the designated rest area were done in multiple trips. The AMS team worked together with the 65th Logistics Readiness Squadron, which provided the buses used for moving the troops, while Team Lajes provided fuel supply for the aircraft.

Two days after the group transited the base, another aircraft stopped at Lajes with more than 150 passengers. They were returning to the United States from the first phase of African Lion, which was conducted from April 28 to May 15. This movement of troops makes it the first time Lajes will be processing such a large number of servicemembers this year, according to officials here.

"This is the reason we are here," said Captain Ross. "Without us (being here doing this mission), they won't be able to continue their forward movement to support African Lion in Morocco."

Last year during the 19-day long exercise, U.S. servicemembers worked closely with the Royal Moroccan Army in a variety of bi-lateral training evolutions including small-arms training and weapons systems familiarization, and a final training exercise.

This year the exercise includes command post training, intelligence capacity-building, a field exercise with live-fire, peace operations, aviation and medical exchange trainings, as well as a humanitarian civic assistance exercise.

The exercise between the Kingdom of Morocco and the United States will involve more than 2,000 U.S. servicemembers and approximately 900 members of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces.