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386th AEW first with all-AF customs

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Patrice Clarke
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Senior Airman Ryan Reese, 386th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron, was in and out of the passenger terminal in less than 45 minutes Dec. 21 as part of his redeployment process. The process that would usually have required him to stay confined to the passenger terminal from the time he dropped off his bags to the time he loaded his airplane home was greatly reduced due to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing's all-Air Force customs team, a first in the Air Force Central Command area of responsibility.

With the inception of this program the tedious hours spent waiting or being bused from different bases throughout the AOR were eliminated, cutting the processing time from an average of 14 hours to as little as six hours, which includes the mandatory three-hour time passengers are required to be at the airport.

"When I arrived we had a very long and tedious redeployment process," said Capt. Thomas Smith, 386th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron installation deployment officer. "We were tasked with finding a way of cutting the process down so the redeployers are not subjected to lockdown any longer than necessary."

Captain Smith and his team noticed there was about four to six hours spent traveling to and from different camps throughout the AOR and processing through customs, briefings, and manifesting at those locations.

"We recognized early that the lack of a customs pre-clearance program at this location was the reason our redeployers were required to process through other installations," said Captain Smith. "Bringing customs here allowed us to co-locate all aspects of the redeployment process, drastically reducing the overall processing time.

Members throughout the 386th ELRS were given the opportunity to volunteer to be trained and certified as U.S. Customs Border Clearance Agents.

"It made sense for me to volunteer to become a customs agent," said Master Sgt. Tim Stidhams, 386th ELRS logistic plans superintendent and customs agent. "Our squadron owns the [redeployment] process so it would be beneficial to better understand it from both sides."

After two practice processing lines and one real-world processing line the current customs team has exceeded projected processing times, according to Captain Smith. More customs agents from the Navy are able to augment the current Air Force team any time there is a large number of passengers processing through the line.

"Our team is doing their part to ensure the redeployers get home in a timely manner," said Captain Smith.

One way redeployers can help speed up the process is by knowing the current customs rules and regulations.

"Many times the holdup comes when redeployers have prohibited items in their checked or carry-on luggage," said Sergeant Stidhams. "One thing we usually see is military issue-knives. Redeployers are allowed these items in their checked bag with the proper paperwork. Many times they are just missing the paperwork."

While the new process decreases the time spent waiting, redeployers will still be asked to exercise patience during the required baggage checks, which will be less intrusive once ordered x-ray baggage scan machines arrive.

"We have to check 100 percent of passenger's baggage to include carryons," said Sergeant Stidhams. "This means each person's bag gets opened and the contents removed. It's going to take some time so we ask the passengers to be patient."

Airman Reese redeployed through the new system with the Air Force customs team and was impressed with how smooth the process went.

"[The process] saves everyone time and the headache that comes with just sitting around and waiting," said Airman Reese. "I was able to get through the line pretty quickly, even with the 100-percent bag check. Six hours for the entire process is always better than 14 hours."

With the inception of the all-Air Force customs team here, redeployers processing through the 386th AEW have on average an extra eight hours that aren't spent on a bus, in a line, or just sitting waiting. Alleviating some frustration and making the trip home just a little smoother for everyone.