AMC mission brings strategic, commercial support to Spang

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Amaani Lyle
  • 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany (USAFENS) --  As the 52nd Fighter Wing primes for major transitions between now and the end of the year, a key part of the Air Mobility Command is ready to join team here between June 15 and this fall.

The 726th Air Mobility Squadron provides strategic, theater and contract commercial air mobility support for Europe, Africa and Southwest Asia, said Lt. Col. Jim Kirk, 726th Air Mobility Squadron director of operations and soon-to-be 726th AMS commander.

The squadron is projected to stand up here Oct. 1, just months before the scheduled hand-over of Rhein-Main Air Base through the Rhein-Main Transition Program. The project will enable Spangdahlem Air Base to support cargo and passenger traffic as part of its new airlift mission.

The squadron provides command and control, maintenance and aerial port capability to all AMC aircraft transiting their ramp, and Colonel Kirk said his team has been working in tandem all along with U.S. Air Forces in Europe at Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany.

The colonel added that though the manning will not be as robust as it was at Rhein-Main AB, the operations tempo will be every bit as busy from a manpower-versus-mission perspective.

“One of the biggest challenges we’ll face as we transition to Spangdahlem (AB) is adjusting to the size difference between our Spangdahlem facility compared to Rhein-Main. We’ll go from operating the Department of Defense’s largest passenger terminal in the world to a smaller ‘passenger holding area’ that holds about 105 passengers.”

The smaller-scale operating plan does not seem to call for radically different equipment than what the 52nd FW already has in its 52nd Maintenance Group and 52nd Logistics Readiness Squadron.

“We’ll have a variety of aircraft maintenance equipment, de-icers, mission vehicles and aircraft loaders. We’ll be capable of handling every type of aircraft in the AMC inventory, from C-17s and C-5s to KC-10s and KC-135s,” the colonel said.

With the influx of new people arriving to Spangdahlem AB, the 52nd Fighter Wing must go above and beyond in preparation to host its new tenant organization.

“It is our hope to make this transition as seamless as possible by offering adaptation programs and working with family members on an individual basis. Families should definitely come to the support center once they arrive and allow us to help make this move a positive experience,” said Carole Beasley, Family Support Center lead community readiness consultant.

Colonel Kirk said several of his squadron members have already made trips to Spangdahlem AB to get acclimated to the new surroundings and coordinate requirements with host support functions.

“Our goal is to smoothly transition into Team Eifel and become an enhancement to the base from the start. We won’t be arriving all at once, but will gradually (permanently change station) here during the summer months to become fully operational by October,” the colonel said.

The doors will soon close at Rhein-Main AB, but the transition holds promise to open new ones for the members of the 726th AMS. One troop has already arrived here, and seven more will follow later this month.

“We’re looking forward to the transition and we have a great group of people who have a proud history of contributing positively to their base and community. We’re moving from the hustle and bustle of the big city near Frankfurt to the rural countryside landscape of the Eifel region -- a change we’re certainly ready for,” Colonel Kirk said.