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CENTCOM Deployment and Distribution Director visits 586th ELRS Combat Truckers

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Reginald Robinson
  • 586th Air Expeditionary Group
Airmen of the 586th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron hosted a visit from Maj. Gen. Brian Meenan, Central Command Deployment and Distribution Operations Center director, Sept 8.

General Meenan spent the afternoon learning about and interacting with the Air Force's only combat line haul convoy mission.

As CDDOC director, General Meenan directs and overseas all distribution requirements and channels for both air and surface transport within the CENTCOM area of responsibility.

His visit emphasized the cornerstone role combat truckers play in Operation Iraqi Freedom theater logistics. The general brought a spotlight of recognition to the squadron, and he took away a fantastic appreciation for the tactical challenges faced by ground combat Airmen transiting the roads of Iraq every day.

"I wish we could bottle this [mission] up and put it on Main Street," said General Meenan. "We're very proud of what you're doing here--it's amazing."

General Meenan's orientation visit included a tour of the armory, the tactical operations center and a series of static vehicle displays.

"This is an incredible mission," said General Meenan after receiving a briefing on armory operations. "Staging the weapons in theater is not only a cost savings, but ensures that the Airmen have the right equipment at the right time to ensure their safety and the continued execution of this critical mission."

The general also received a briefing on the various vehicles used during convoy operations. General Meenan toured two M915 tractor/trailers, a lead convoy vehicle, a Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck Wrecker, and a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle.

While receiving his briefing on convoy security, General Meenan got a fresh perspective on Escalation of Force procedures from Army soldiers that operate the MRAPs and HMMWV gun trucks. In the post-security agreement environment, U.S. forces adhering to the share-the-road concept often have only a few seconds to make a decision about a threat and take the appropriate action. General Meenan again expressed his appreciation and thanks "for executing this important mission with such professionalism and skill."

The highlight of the visit was a virtual convoy mission which took the General Meenan to Joint Base Balad in Iraq. The briefing was led by Tech. Sgt. Guadalupe Montanez, Scorpions convoy commander, of Kadena Air Base, Japan, and a veteran of the combat convoy mission. The briefing took place at the "sand table," which is an appropriately named venue as it maps the major convoy routes and forward operating bases in Iraq.
Selected members of the 586th ELRS briefed General Meenan on driving conditions, the mission environment, and enemy threats.

"We've got a lot of mature 18, 19, and 20 year-olds out here," explained Master Sgt. Robert Burton, deployed from Ramstein AB, Germany, discussing the Airmen's travel over roads plagued with improvised explosive devices and explosively formed penetrators. "It's incredible what they do. It's hard to explain to the folks back home everything that happens out there."

The dangers of the mission were not lost on General Meenan as he acknowledged that each time a convoy departs to drive outside-the-wire, Airmen must depend on their training, their equipment, and the discipline of their teammates to return from a mission successfully.

With his background as an Air Force pilot, General Meenan commended these Airmen for their combat prowess, the capability they bring to the joint fight on a daily basis, and their ability to support the responsible drawdown of forces in Iraq.

"I am simply amazed at the level of responsibility we place in young Air Force technical sergeants," he said. "They are entrusted with decision-making authority that affects 50 or more lives and millions of dollars in equipment each time they launch a mission."

General Meenan found it useful to spend time talking to Airmen and allowing them to talk about their mission and ask candid questions. Prior to departing, he coined several Airmen for making his visit such a success.

The 586th ELRS combat truckers move nearly 50,000 tons of cargo every month, the equivalent of more than 2,200 C-130 sorties.