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Overseeing the fight, one flight at a time

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Vincent Borden
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing public affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  It's no secret that conducting the Global War on Terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan has proved to be a formidable manpower challenge for the Air Force. What isn't nearly as well known is the myriad of ways the service is resourcing the challenge without compromising the mission.

From personnel increases in targeted career fields, to the strategic placement of capable, competent contractors and technicians in key positions, the Air Force is maximizing its personnel effectiveness daily to degrade terrorist operations in the region.
Max Geesey, an air traffic control tower liaison here, is one of those capable technicians. An air traffic controller for nine years (four of which were spent with the Navy), he now works as a contract safety observer and liaison for air traffic control operations at the primary aerial hub for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

An employee of Midwest Air Traffic Control, Mr. Geesey's primary job as an ATCT liaison is to ensure that air traffic is moving as smoothly as possible. Mr. Geesey's employment in the position, which was formerly staffed by military air traffic controllers, enables more military controllers to work in other locations around the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility and elsewhere.

But that also means he must give up the control he would normally have in the tower directing aircraft pilots on which runways to use and when to take off and land.

Instead, he now employs his oversight of airfield operations by looking out the window of the tower and relaying instructions to pilots from the host-nation controllers. He also advises the controllers on a variety of aspects of airfield management and clears up any language barriers, ensuring the flow of operations.

Although it's quite different from what he would normally do in a tower anywhere else, the unique job challenges are met with professionalism and attention to detail.

"The host-nation controllers don't have the same rules we do [in the U.S.]," said Mr. Geesey. "Their phraseology is different and varies among controllers, and their procedures are different. Combine that with the language barrier and it's easy to see how miscommunication can occur. There have been several catches, some of which I've made personally and some that others have made, such as aircraft reading back cleared for takeoff when they weren't clear."

Mr. Geesey, who is completing a year-long tour, and his team of four other liaisons work 24 hours a day with the host-nation controllers on anything that might cause a safety issue, such as the dialogue for the Automated Terminal Information Service.

"The ATIS is a recording that provides the pilots with weather information, airfield conditions, what type of approach to expect and any closures or other pertinent information," said Mr. Geesey. "The recording repeats over and over on a VHF frequency, and pilots listen to it prior to take off or when inbound to land at the airfield. This eliminates a lot of repetitive transmissions for the controllers."

As the primary aerial hub of synchronized efforts to Iraq and parts of Afghanistan, the host-nation controllers handle an estimated 2,800 takeoffs and landing a month. This does not include other sister service and coalition air force missions. It all makes for a situation with the potential to become extraordinarily hectic, making Mr. Geesey's job as a liaison essential to ensuring aircraft safety on the airfield.

"We're an extra set of eyes and ears and just work to keep everything running as smooth as possible," Mr. Geesey said.

With a flawless record void of airfield mishaps since taking over liaison responsibilities at the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, those eyes and ears are doing their job.