Транзитный центр Манас: интеграция сил и авиационные операции

Manas AB soars with total force operations в качестве ключевого узла в зоне ответственности U.S. Air Forces Central. 376th Air Expeditionary Wing pushes tanker airpower as the most Total Force integrated aircrews in the U.S. Air Forces Central Area of Responsibility. Деятельность базы сосредоточена на обеспечении дозаправки в воздухе и поддержке наземных сил.

Концепция «Total Force» и командное взаимодействие

The Liberandos' "Tanker Total Force" has a combined staff of Air National Guard crews and maintenance teams alongside active-duty Airmen working together as an integrated team. По словам Col. Randy Ogden, 376th Expeditionary Operations Group commander: "It's a tremendous example, here at Manas AB, of the Total Force effort at work."

Members of the 185th Air Refueling Wing of the Iowa Air National Guard arrive to Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, чтобы работать совместно с кадровыми военными. Как подчеркнул полковник Огден: "The (Air National) Guard out of Sioux City, Iowa is extremely professional and hard working, and they're paired well with our active-duty troops—it's a great example of the Total Force." При этом визуальных различий в работе нет: "You go on an airplane, you can't tell which crew chief is active-duty or which one is Guard—same as our aircrews—they're all perfectly trained and standardized."

Lt. Col. Thomas Eisenhauer, 376th Expeditionary Maintenance Group commander, отметил важность этого союза: "The active duty provide the continuity and the Guard bring the experience on these aircraft." Работа в таком темпе позволяет персоналу совершенствоваться: "The pace is quicker here, and it sharpens our skills, so when we go home we're even better aircrew members."

Миссии над Афганистаном и техническая поддержка

The missions here are challenging with the mountainous terrain over Afghanistan but the flexibility of the Total Force is the key to getting the mission done. Мы находимся в непосредственной близости к зоне боевых действий: "We're close to the fight, and we provide the tanker mission to support the receivers that provide our ground forces protection downrange."

Ниже представлены ключевые руководители и специалисты, участвующие в операциях:

Имя и звание	Должность / Подразделение
Col. Randy Ogden	376th Expeditionary Operations Group commander
Lt. Col. Thomas Eisenhauer	376th Expeditionary Maintenance Group commander
Col. Tammy Hinkston	376th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron commander
Tech. Sgt. Ronald Hanson	185th Air Refueling Wing crew chief

Инфраструктура и моральный дух: Pete's Place

Для поддержания духа личного состава на базе функционировал специальный центр. Pete's Place was a centralized recreation center for transients and permanent party members to socialize and build morale. Pete’s Place was named after Peter J. Ganci Jr., a New York City fire chief who lost his life on Sept. 11, 2001.

В центре были организованы различные виды досуга: "The celebration had various forms of entertainment, to include pingpong, dancing, billiards, and a live DJ." Однако со временем база претерпела изменения, и Pete's Place closes after entertaining millions. Col. Tammy Hinkston, 376th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron commander, совершила символическую последнюю покупку перед закрытием центра в марте 2014 года. Несмотря на завершение работы некоторых объектов, Manas AB is an outstanding deployment location, а Киргизия остается важным регионом: "Manas AB is also a great base, Kyrgyzstan is a great country, the people are wonderful, and we really enjoy it."