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Airmen take retrograde operations to the next level

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Allison Day
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
To date, Airmen assigned to the 385th Air Expeditionary Group have transported more than 12 million pounds of retrograde cargo from Afghanistan using the capabilities of the mighty C-5M Super Galaxy.

As the war in Afghanistan winds down, retrograde operations are propelled to new heights and ahead of schedule because of these Airmen and their ability to transport record numbers of cargo.

“We have changed the face of airlift. In the past 50 days, we’ve been able to fly more than 70 missions moving more than 12 million pounds of cargo, well exceeding expectations,” said Lt. Col. Jonathan Diaz, 385th AEG Detachment 1 commander. “Unprecedented communication with the Tanker Airlift Control Center, the 5th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron and the various Air Terminal Operations Centers at downrange locations has led to our efficiency and ability to increase our average cargo load by over 17 percent and airlifting an additional 2 million pounds of cargo.”

It’s also resulted in a savings of $2 million, added Diaz, a Tampa, Florida, native deployed from the 9th Airlift Squadron, Dover Air Force Base, Delaware.

“In order to support retrograde operations, we manage the availability of aircrews to provide continuous coverage for our missions that are tasked by Air Mobility Command Headquarters,” said Senior Master Sgt. Brandon Trolinder, 385th AEG Det. 1 stage manager. “Additionally, it’s important for us to work closely with maintenance to determine the mission capabilities of our aircraft.”

Once Trolinder and his team decide that an aircraft is ready for a mission, they alert the aircrew, provide them with flight plans and planned cargo upload for their down range location. He manages the required support functions for an aircrew’s flight preparation ensuring they have everything they need to accomplish the mission.

“I love flying the C-5M missions. It's incredibly satisfying to play our part in the war effort - delivering outsize/oversize cargo where it's needed, when it's needed,” said Capt. Jennifer Nolta, 9th AS pilot. “It still amazes me how capable the C-5M is; seeing how much cargo we can carry, how far we can go, how fast we can get there and the incredible performance of such a large aircraft.”

Nolta has flown 11 missions to Afghanistan and, in addition to the incredible performance of the C-5M, she also credits her crew with the success of those missions.

“We fly with a large crew,” said Nolta, a Reston, Virginia, native. “In my opinion, when crews get along well off the airplane, things tend to run smoother on the airplane and it makes the whole mission a lot more fun.”

The specific mission during the retrograde stage is to provide maximum airlift capability to remove military equipment and personnel from Afghanistan. This isn’t the first time that the Air Force has performed retrograde operations. Although it was done in the past in Iraq, the mission in Afghanistan has proven to be challenging due to its undeveloped road system.

“Even though the geography is different, the materiel being retrograded is comparable,” said Trolinder who also deployed from 9th AS and calls Dover home. “This, coupled with Afghanistan’s lack of a seaport, makes the C-5M critical to the logistical movement of materiel.”

The Super Galaxy has the ability to transport up to 281,000 pounds of cargo in a single mission and the fleet is kept ready by a hardworking crew of maintainers.

“Because of the hard work by the maintenance team and flight crews, we have been able to fly ten percent more missions than originally scheduled,” said Diaz. “We also broke AMC's operational cargo load record five times, with our heaviest load to date being 280,880 pounds.”

Trolinder believes that the seamless effort of operators, maintainers and flight managers throughout their time here has led to the tremendous accomplishment of the mission.

Upon return from missions in Afghanistan, prior coordination with local contractors for offload of cargo and transport ensures that the materiel reaches its final destination.

“It may be manifested to various locations for military use. Some of it is loaded onto cargo ships and transported back to bases in the United States,” said Trolinder. “Included in the 12 million pounds are 316 pieces of rolling stock, 518 pallets and 171 personnel.”

The most rewarding aspect for Trolinder is to see the C-5M Super Galaxy perform the mission flawlessly, he added.

“I have been devoted to the C-5M since it was accepted by the Air Force in 2009 and I’m satisfied to see it used to its full potential in providing safe and reliable airlift for any and all military equipment,” he said. “It is able to sustain operations and provide a capable platform for the future and that is important to me personally.”

Retrograde is not just a U.S. mission. Every coalition partner will, at some point in the future, draw down its personnel and equipment to a yet to be determined, post-2014 posture.