SOUTHWEST ASIA -- There can be times where obstacles delay Airmen from completing their mission. However, when it comes to supplying the warfighter or delivering critical equipment to personnel throughout the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, a small delay can have large consequences.

In order to overcome these types of challenges and prevent delays or equipment shortages, Airmen at the 386th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron recently adapted a simple ideology.

“When I talk to my team, I like to use the philosophy ownership versus rentership,” said Master Sgt. Travis Eldridge, 386th ELRS traffic management office superintendent. “What I mean by this is when you own something, you take better care of it and look at ways to improve it. On the other hand, with the rentership mentality, individuals usually do not put forth as much time or effort.”

According to Eldridge, recently his team has fully-embraced this mentality by adapting a less-than-conventional method of moving equipment – well, less conventional at least by Air Force standards.

“We recently moved a series of assets by boat,” he said. “There are plenty of real-world situations that can cause delays, and it is up to us to find solutions to potential issues. Deployments are much different than working at your home station. You have to be flexible and willing to go the extra mile – people’s lives are depending on it.”

Eldridge, who is deployed here from the 6th Logistics Readiness Squadron at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, said he has only moved a shipment by boat twice in nearly twenty years of service.

Transporting equipment is just one of a couple roles TMO accomplishes here. Another role they fulfill is ensuring the CENTCOM logistics pipeline is effective and streamlined, allowing transport for supplies to complete various missions throughout the AOR.

In regards to this current deployment, Eldridge said his office has truly ‘owned’ the work center and feels the results of his team’s effort are evident.

“In the month of May alone, we moved more than 5,000 items weighing more than 26-million pounds,” he said. “That’s more than 13-thousand tons of specialized equipment, vehicles, food and other items that will directly help our fellow Airmen, Soldiers, Marines and coalition partners.”

One of the Airmen who has adapted Eldridge’s ‘ownership’ mentality is Senior Airman Matthew Koch, 386th ELRS inbound cargo technician. Koch, who is deployed from the 23rd Logistics Readiness Squadron at Moody AFB, Georgia, said this deployment has gone by much faster than he thought, and attributed it to the climate of the ELRS workplace.

Koch said logistics plays a major role in the Air Force and every day presents a new challenge in the logistics world. However, he added that having the opportunity to overcome these challenges is something his office thrives on.

“The mission here is very rewarding,” said Koch. “The days might be long, but the effort we put in translates to real-world results.”