TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The 349th Air Mobility Operations Squadron was named the 2021 Air Force Reserve Command unit of the year.
The award recognizes exceptional performance in the arena of air operations center augmentation support, specifically within the Air Mobility Directorate, Theater Command and Control. This is the squadron’s fifth nod for this honor.
The 349th AMOS deploys worldwide to support Air Force air operations center air mobility divisions. Members provide command and control for intra-theater air mobility assets as directed by the theater joint force air component commander, ensuring logistical, airlift, tanker, and aeromedical evacuation missions are planned and executed successfully.
Marking a banner year, the “Wyverns” earned the distinction of being one of the first to provide Reserve command and control augmentation to Ramstein Air Base, Germany for what would become the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The 349th AMOS backfilled critical command and control roles in four separate air operations centers around the world through 11 deployments and more than 200 temporary duty days. Locally at Travis, they provided operational command and control during Exercise Nexus Dawn – the first reserve-only exercise of its kind.
The unit was not without its challenges, however, wrestling with the lingering uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, less than ideal manning levels and fluctuating threats in the global stage.
“Winning this award is a testament to the core processes that we have established to accomplish our mission.” said Maj. Andreas Johnsen, 349th AMOS director of operations. “The AMOS community is very small and we have relationships based on trust. When the air operations centers ever have a need for reserve support, I want them to think of our patch first.”
“There is no single achievement or accomplishment that helped boost the unit’s chances of winning the award.” said Lt. Col. Harry Alderson, 349th AMOS commander. “Our commitment to transforming the training operations culture to attract, train, and maintain high quality leaders and technicians may be the major contributing factor to our selection for this award. Furthermore, our collective dedication to program and process improvements is deeply embedded into our cadre of high caliber Airmen, at both the officer and enlisted ranks.”
Alderson saw a path to success. The commander deliberately instilled a reinvigorated deployment warrior ethos within each Reserve Citizen Airman in the unit. His goal was to boost and sustain the Airmen’s proficiency training and efficiently assess AMOS readiness capabilities.
“This award is a tremendous honor that personifies the 349th AMOS and reflects our ability to galvanize the collective talents across the entire unit,” added Alderson. “It not only acknowledges this unit’s unwavering commitment to recruit, train, and deploy combat-ready Airmen, but it also sets a new standard this unit and its members are capable of achieving.”