AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar – Personnel from U.S. Air Forces Central Command and Coalition partner services recently united to support Iraqi Civil Defense Authorities in their efforts to extinguish a fire near Mosul, Iraq.
The international team delivered shipments of fire-retardant foam to enable Iraqi forces to extinguish the fire started by Da’esh militants at the Al-Mishraq Sulfur Plant.
“We needed to help put out the fire, but there wasn’t a lot of specificity on how in terms of requirements,” said Air Force Col. Mark Rose, AFCENT Logistics director. “It was a lot of moving pieces coming together to make sure this happened on short notice. In a dynamic environment, things rarely work in the school house way, but [our team has] developed a culture of being dynamic.”
An AFCENT C-130 Hercules from the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing led the way, landing a shipment of 3,750 gallons of foam in Bagdad within 36 hours of the request for support - at least six days faster than a typical shipment.
“A lot of people came together to make this happen,” said Rose. “It’s incredible to be part of a team that can work together to quickly produce air power and get things where they’re needed.”
Rose hopes this display shows the international community the U.S. military remains committed to defending the region and ultimately eliminating Da’esh.
“I think this shows our international partners we can deliver,” he said. “We’re here to be partners and build a relationship that is more than transactional.”
Rose said his team and the Airmen from across the AFCENT area of responsibility will continue to provide support in any way possible.
“Despite any resource challenges, man power restraints or any other limitations,” he said, “we will continue to overcome.”