TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- “Today is a monumental event,” said Capt. Nicholas Andemahr, deputy chief of the Travis Planning Center, and member of the 349th Operations Support Squadron at Travis AFB. “Having both leaders here from the Numbered Air Forces to discuss and showcase the mission planning center we have been building is a true testament of the integration between the Air Force Reserve Command and the Regular Air Force.”
This month, Maj. Gen. Corey Martin, 18th Air Force commander, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, and Brig. Gen. Derin Durham, commander, Fourth Air Force, March Air Reserve Base, California, toured the new Travis Planning Center on August 17, 2023.
It was a unique situation to have 18th AF leadership, the sole NAF commander for Air Mobility Command, and the 4th AF commander, mobility force NAF commander of AFRC, to be present at the same place, same time for a real-time briefing given by Capt. Andemahr on the progress of the center.
During the generals’ visit, Andemahr keyed the commanders in on context and the current situation to advocate for the wing on behalf of Travis’s Airmen to get fully organized, trained, and equipped to succeed.
“The relationship between active-duty and reserve members is mutually beneficial. The active duty is an immediate force tonight, and with the reserve we can plus up to be a decisive force for America when needed,” said Maj. Steve Chandler, director of operation for the 349th OSS. “As active-duty transitions to new assignments, cyclically, the reserve component typically acts more as an enduring force in the local area, which can be leveraged to maintain continuity of operations over time. When our new active-duty counterparts arrive in a permanent change of station status, they can hit the ground running.”
The NAF’s role is the warfighting arm within a major command, known as a MAJCOM. The 349th AMW belongs to 4th AF within the MAJCOM of AFRC. The 60th AMW falls under 18th AF within the AMC umbrella.
The newly delivered KC-46A Pegasus is an integral part of this warfighting mission, and the Air Force’s Tanker Modernization Plan.
The goal is to be competitive in a peer-to-peer conflict. The KC-46A will provide the force with extended range air refueling capability right to the fight and extend air operations further into aggressor or enemy territory, while operating competently in threat environments.
“This is a Total Force effort between the 60th AMW and the 349th AMW. We do everything in concert with one another,” said Chandler. Previously, Team Travis members arrived at Boeing together, and directly interfaced with the KC-46A Pegasus program office, the Defense Contracting Management Agency, and the Boeing Corporation. “You could see everyone involved was aligned together with the same strategic vision of making America more warfighter ready.”
“I believe they are going to see the gravity of the situation and be onboard from both sides of the house with what we are trying to accomplish as far as effectively manning the planning center and using the KC-46A the way it was designed,” said Andemahr.
Maj. Gen. Martin directs readiness and sustainment of approximately 36,000 active-duty, reserve, and civilian Airmen at 12 wings and one direct reporting unit. With more than 400 aircraft, 18th AF supports the AMC worldwide mission of providing rapid global mobility to America’s armed forces through airlift, aerial refueling and aeromedical evacuation.
Brig. Gen. Durham commands long-range airlift and air refueling units located throughout the continental U.S., Hawaii, and Guam. The 4th AF ensures units and personnel are ready to support national security, too, by overseeing 18 flying wings and one regional support group, which provides strategic airlift, airdrop, aeromedical, air refueling and associated expeditionary support activities. All encompassing, the 4th Air Force jurisdiction of responsibilities are 300 units and more than 32,000 personnel.