Category Added in a WPeMatico Campaign
Source: United States Airforce Central Command
U.S. Air Force C-5 Galaxy loadmasters prepare to offload cargo at an undisclosed location, U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility, April 22, 2024. Cargo arrived on both a C-5 Galaxy and a Boeing 747, challenging logistics professionals to quickly download over 160,000 pounds of critical cargo. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Source: United States Airforce Central Command
U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility —
The 379th Air Expeditionary Wing hosted the first ever change of command for the 379th Expeditionary Air Base Group April 19, 2024.
U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Douglas Jackson, the 379th AEW commander, and Col. David Mays, the former 379th EABG commander, welcomed Col. Jeff Mrazik as the new group commander.
“I can think of no better person to lead this group into the next generation of the fight,” said Jackson. “The experience Jeff brings to the area of responsibility is unparalleled.”
Mrazik comes from MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, where he excelled as the 6th Operations Group commander. He also brings experience from previous deployments to the AOR.
“Col Mrazik is shaped and seasoned to be the commander this organization needs,” said Jackson. “An operator by trade, he has previously been a commander right here in the epicenter for the 350th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron during the height of our coalition’s fight to defeat ISIS. His resume is an impressive one. A school of advanced air and space studies graduate, a joint and coalition war fighter, and a doctor, he will no doubt excel as your commander.”
The change of command ceremony marked the first for the EABG since its founding earlier this year.
The group formed from a merger of four different groups within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility brought by the new Air Force Force Generation Model (AFFORGEN), a revamped deployment system designed to provide predictability for Airmen and enhance capability for deploying units.
The merger was the first in a series of modernizing procedures brought on by AFFORGEN directed towards regaining readiness for the high-end fight. The 379th AEW’s eagerness to embrace change serves as a symbol for the future of Air Force deployed operations.
“We need to be ready to win now and in the future,” said Mrazik. “It’s our turn now to make things better and more efficient for those around us and those that come after us.”
Source: United States Airforce Central Command
AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar —
U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Derek France took command of Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) and Combined Air Forces Central, succeeding U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, during a change of command ceremony, today, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.
قاعدة العديد الجوية، قطر – تولى الفريق في القوات الجوية الأمريكية ديريك فرانس قيادة القوة الجوية التاسعة (القوات الجوية المركزية) والقوات الجوية المشتركة المركزية، خلفاً للفريق في القوات الجوية الأمريكية أليكس جرينغويتش، خلال مراسم تغيير القيادة اليوم في قاعدة العديد الجوية بقطر.
As U.S. Central Command’s Air Component, U.S. Air Forces Central generates combat airpower and integrates command and control to deter and, if necessary, defeat regional aggressors and global competitors to secure and stabilize the region.
انطلاقاً من اعتبار سلاح الجو أحد مكونات القيادة المركزية الأمريكية، تقوم القوات الجوية الأمريكية المركزية بتزويد قوة جوية قتالية ودمج عنصري القيادة والسيطرة لردع، وإذا لزم الأمر، هزيمة المعتدين الإقليميين والمنافسين العالميين لتأمين المنطقة وتحقيق الاستقرار فيها.
U.S. Army Gen. Michael Kurilla, U.S. Central Command Commander, presided over the ceremony and stressed the importance of combat airpower and the role of U.S. partners and allies across the region.
ترأس الجنرال بالجيش الأمريكي مايكل كوريلا، قائد القيادة المركزية الأمريكية، الحفل وأكد على أهمية القوة الجوية القتالية ودور شركاء الولايات المتحدة وحلفائها في جميع أنحاء المنطقة.
“AFCENT has set the standard for airpower for more than 40 years,” Kurilla said. “Our Ninth Air Force has participated in some of the most historic air campaigns in modern history, and their exploits are legendary from Desert Storm, Iraq, Afghanistan, leading the fight against Daesh.”
قال الجنرال كوريلا: “ارست القيادة المركزية للقوات الجوية معايير القوة الجوية لأكثر من اربعين عاماً”, واضاف “لقد شاركت قواتنا الجوية التاسعة في بعض الحملات الجوية الأكثر تاريخية في مسار التاريخ الحديث، ومآثرها أسطورية من عاصفة الصحراء والعراق وأفغانستان، حتى قيادة القتال ضد داعش”.
“Amazing teams don’t just come together – it takes leaders to set priorities, see through friction, and drive change,” Kurilla continued while highlighting his gratitude for AFCENT leadership. “The true measure of any commander’s success is not how they perform, but how well the force performs. It’s how their people respond during times of crisis. It’s how they answer the call.”
تابع الجنرال كوريلا حديثه مسلطاً الضوء على امتنانه للقيادة المركزية للقوات الجوية قائلا: “لا تجتمع الفرق المذهلة معًا فحسب، بل يتطلب الامر من القادة تحديد الاولويات وتجاوز الخلافات, والدفع بأتجاه التغيير”. واستطرد الجنرال كوريلا “ان المقياس الحقيقي لنجاح أي قائد ليس في كيفية أدائه، بل في مدى جودة أداء القوة ذاتها. إنها الكيفية التي يستجيبون بها في أوقات الأزمات. انها الطريقة التي يجيبون بها على المكالمة”
Hundreds of Airmen, joint and coalition partners, and senior regional military officials attended ceremony, highlighting the U.S.’s focus on building and maintaining critical partnerships through a collective vision for peace and security throughout the region.
حضر الحفل المئات من عناصر سلاح الجو, والشركاء واعضاء التحالف وكبار المسؤولين العسكريين الإقليميين، مما سلّط الضوء على تركيز الولايات المتحدة على بناء والحفاظ على الشراكات المهمة من خلال رؤية جماعية للسلام والأمن في جميع أنحاء المنطقة.
“I stand here before you today with a deep sense of gratitude for the privilege of having served as your commander,” said Grynkewich. “It’s been a demanding time for the region and for the command, but alongside our joint team and partners, we’ve risen to the challenge time and time again. The sacrifices of the entire joint and combined team have not gone unnoticed, whether it’s executing precision airstrikes, providing crucial logistics support, or engaging with our local communities here in the region.”
قال غرينغويتش: “أقف هنا أمامكم اليوم وأنا أشعر بإحساس عميق بالامتنان لشرف خدمتي كقائد لكم”. واضاف ” لقد كان وقتاً صعبًا بالنسبة للمنطقة وللقيادة، ولكن جنباً إلى جنب مع فريقنا المشترك وشركائنا، ارتقينا إلى مستوى التحدي مراراً وتكراراً.
إن تضحيات الفريق المشترك بأكمله لم تمر مرور الكرام، سواء كان ذلك من خلال تنفيذ غارات جوية دقيقة، أو توفير الدعم اللوجستي الحاسم، أو التواصل مع مجتمعاتنا المحلية هنا في المنطقة”.
Grynkewich took command in July 2022, and has been selected to serve as the Director of Operations on the Joint Staff in Washington, D.C. France takes command following his previous command tour at the Third Air Force under U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
تولى غرينغويتش القيادة في يوليو 2022، وتم اختياره للعمل كمدير للعمليات في هيئة الأركان المشتركة في واشنطن العاصمة. سيتولى الفريق فرانس القيادة بعد ان انهى مهامه القيادية السابقة في القوة الجوية الثالثة تحت قيادة القوات الجوية الأمريكية في أوروبا – القوات الجوية في افريقيا في قاعدة رامشتاين الجوية، ألمانيا.
“I’m humbled to accept the flag of Ninth Air Force (AFCENT), and I’m proud to wear the patches and count myself among this team,” France said while accepting his role as the new commander. “The United States is a country born into battle, and as we will never look for a fight, we will certainly defend the freedoms and the values that we hold dear side-by-side with our partners.”
قال فرانس أثناء تسنم منصبه كقائد جديد” يشرفني حمل علم القوة الجوية التاسعة (القيادة المركزية للقوات الجوية) وأنا فخور بارتداء الباج الخاص بها وأعد نفسي جزء من هذا الفريق”. واضاف “الولايات المتحدة دولة ولدت في خضم معركة، وبما أننا لن نسعى أبدًا للقتال، فسندافع بالتأكيد عن الحريات والقيم التي نعتز بها جنباً إلى جنب مع شركائنا”.
As the Combined Forces Air Component Commander, France will provide strategic leadership for approximately 15,000 deployed joint and coalition forces executing air and air defense operations across U.S. Central Command’s 21-nation area of responsibility alongside regional partners and coalition allies.
بصفته قائداً للمكون الجوي للقوات المشتركة، سيقوم فرانس بالقيادة الإستراتيجية لحوالي 15000 من القوات المشتركة وقوات التحالف المنتشرة التي تنفذ عمليات جوية وعمليات الدفاع الجوي عبر منطقة مسؤولية القيادة المركزية الأمريكية المكونة من 21 دولة جنبًا إلى جنب مع الشركاء الإقليميين وحلفاء التحالف.
In his closing comments, France highlighted the importance of integrated coalition operations saying, “You have resiliency and synergy, and that is why we prevail, that is how we win, and that’s what Airmen do.”
في تعليقاته الختامية، سلط فرانس الضوء على أهمية عمليات التحالف المتكاملة قائلاً: “لديكم المرونة والتآزر، ولهذا السبب ننتصر، وهذه هي الطريقة التي نفوز بها، وهذا ما يفعله عناصر سلاح الجو”.
Imagery of the ceremony will be available through the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service at dvidshub.net/unit/AFCENT.
ستكون صور الحفل متاحة من خلال خدمة توزيع المعلومات المرئية الدفاعية على
dvidshub.net/unit/AFCENT.
Source: United States Airforce Central Command
ARABIAN GULF —
Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) conducted Blue Sands 24.4, a combined air and missile defense exercise, in the North Arabian Gulf alongside coalition allies and regional partner nations, April 17, 2024.
Blue Sands, a part of U.S. Central Command’s overall Integrated Air and Missile Defense exercise series, focuses on modernizing defense architecture, which requires multinational integration across air, land, sea, space, and cyber domains.
The exercise supports the coalition’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense posture, and it serves to enhance theater security cooperation, partner information sharing, and multinational command and control in a contested environment.
Focusing on the full-scale integration of a combat-ready coalition force, U.S. Air Force, Coalition Forces, and Regional Partner aircraft, including F-16 Fighting Falcons from the District of Columbia Air National Guard’s 121st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, and personnel joined several partner counterparts to rehearse combined responses to adversary threat scenarios. An array of coalition and joint aircraft are scheduled to participate, including advanced fighter, aerial refueling, and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance platforms.
Coalition and regional partners continue to face threats from the Iranian Threat Network, and these exercises ensure combined forces remain agile and flexible to defend against any aggressor.
Source: United States Airforce Central Command
Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) commander, and his spouse, Shannon Grynkewich, talk to their son via video call during Gen. Grynkewich’s final flight as the AFCENT commander, April 9, 2024, at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. The fini-flight is an Air Force tradition marking pilots’ departure from a unit, which often includes a celebration among family, friends, and Airmen upon landing. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Christopher Hubenthal)
Source: United States Airforce Central Command
UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, Southwest Asia —
Special Operations Joint Task Force Central established Space Force-Team Sentinel, Feb. 16, 2024.
Team Sentinel is SOJTF-C’s designated space support element operating throughout Central and South Asia and the Arabian Peninsula. It provides integrated full spectrum space-based capabilities across SOJTF-C’s area of operations.
Designed to optimize Special Operations Forces space integration, this team will provide integrated SOF specific space support, deliver innovative space solutions to unique problems, maintain awareness of threats, coordinate regional space operations, and integrate SOJTF-C with global space components to enable multi-domain special operations.
Team Sentinel supports and integrates with U.S. Central Command’s space component, U.S. Space Forces Central, contributing to unity of effort across the CENTCOM space enterprise.
Source: United States Airforce Central Command
UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, Southwest Asia —
Shots ring out, a unit is pinned down in a firefight. The mountainous terrain and enemy fire make it difficult for personnel to exit the hot zone. Multiple casualties are in desperate need of medical attention. Broken radio chatter fills the air throughout the chaos.
MRAPs can’t make it through the hilly terrain and helicopters cannot land due to the severity of the ongoing fight. How can lifesaving aid be delivered to these casualties?
U.S. Air Forces Central said they may have an answer.
Task Force-99, alongside the Air Force’s Blue Horizon program and Titan Dynamics, a Florida-based company, assessed the capabilities of the first unmanned aerial system (UAS) developed using a new set of software that can conceptualize an airframe in minutes and 3D print the design to employ it in under 24 hours. This would revolutionize the process at which drones can be created and distributed to allied forces to support missions globally, according to the task force.
“The goal of our project was to be able to quickly design a fixed wing small UAS within minutes, build it within hours, be able to employ it in the same day, and do that in the field right at the point of need,” said Col. Dustin Thomas, a Fellow with Blue Horizons and team member of Project Black Phoenix.
The flight assessment took place March 15, 2024, at an undisclosed location within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, after only a month of planning and preparation.
Early in February of 2024, planning began between TF-99, Blue Horizons and Titan Dynamics on the project that the task force says would normally take a group of engineers up to a week to complete and be ready for assembly and testing. Using new software engineered by Titan Dynamics, TF-99 and Blue Horizons were able to cut that time down to mere minutes.
Thanks to 3D printing, TF-99 highlighted that they can reduce the cost of producing a UAS of this size up to 95 percent. They do this by using a synthetic plastic that is cost efficient and lighter than metal and carbon fiber elements.
Though only in its alpha phase of assessment, the software is capable of virtually conceptualize any small airframe based on mission requirements input by the user. Weight, height, width, distance, speed – all factors a user is looking for can be precisely and quickly manufactured by 3D printers at the click of a button.
“We are creating a system that adapts aircraft to the effect you want to employ,” said Lt. Col. Peter Dilud, a Fellow with Blue Horizons and team member of Project Black Phoenix. “We want to provide a system that puts in the warfighters’ hands the ability to create and really do something unique and specific to their mission.”
The day after the initial flight assessment, TF-99 tested a second UAS developed using the same software and 3D printers as the first version. This time, a different airframe modeled for different mission requirements was assessed. TF-99 was able to fly the UAS containing a mock first-aid care package over 30 miles to its simulated destination. The team designed, printed and flew this customized drone in under 48 hours.
Personnel involved with the project explained this method of quick manufacturing can be used in a combat scenario to support injured service members who may be hard to reach.
“Its’ payload agnostic,” said Lt. Col. Jordan Atkins, another Fellow with Blue Horizons and team member of Project Black Phoenix. “It could be anything that a lab, engineer, pilot, anything anyone comes up with—as long as you know the size of the payload and if it needs to be plugged into something on the plane. You put in the weight and then it can be built.”
With small UAS airframes shaping the future of how war on the ground and in the air may look like, no use is off the table. The CEO of Titan Dynamics, Mohammad Adib, said their goal is to ensure the products their software develops are able to account for multiple uses that may be utilized by the warfighter.
“Our vision is that you could build any kind of service that you need in the field,” Adib shared. “Any kind of ISR platforms, loitering munitions, communications, relocations, relays, mapping aircraft, you name it. It is capable of producing an airframe specific to whatever you may need.”
Senior Airman Gavin Gage, a software developer within TF-99, was among the first to see the collective idea of his organization, Blue Horizons and Titan Dynamics come to fruition. Gage was the first Airman to launch a test of this nature. He says it was a huge success.
“I don’t think I can say that I’ve ever been a part of something this epic,” Gage claimed. “The main goal I wanted to see was that the UAS was able to sustain itself in-flight. It achieved that really well.”
According to the TF-99’s leadership, their role in the early testing phase was one of support.
“We are a vehicle that industry and big Air Force can use, and our access, environment and technical skills allow us to integrate all the pieces together and make this assessment happen in theater,” said Col. Mark Whisler, TF-99 commander. “When given a requirement, we now have the flexibility to customize a drone for that mission in 48 hours or less. That’s pretty awesome.”
Source: United States Airforce Central Command
UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, Southwest Asia —
U.S. Space Force Lt. Col. Deane L. Lake assumed command of U.S. Space Forces Central Combat Detachment 3-1 during an activation and assumption of command ceremony at an undisclosed location within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, March 12, 2024.
CDet 3-1 provides Command and Control for SPACECENT teams in the region that provide space-based capabilities such as missile warning detection, ensuring reliable communications and GPS.
The Space Operations Center, or SOC, operates 24 hours a day and delivers information gathered from those capabilities to U.S. and coalition forces providing security in the region. The SOC is co-located at the Combined Air and Space Operations Center, increasing the speed with which that information can flow to friendly actors in the region.
“This is the first Space Force combat detachment to activate in any Space Field Component Command, CDet 3-1,” said Col. Christopher S. Putman, SPACECENT commander. “Guardians will play an integral part in U.S. efforts to promote peace and stability in the region. This new command provides SPACECENT a forward deployed element that can exercise the command and control necessary to accomplish the mission and properly care for our deployed Guardians.”
According to Lake, CDet 3-1 ensures SPACECENT can deploy Guardians that are prepared for battle and can handle obstacles in the space domain.
“Activating this combat detachment is a big step toward normalizing force presentation and organizes our Guardians in theater into one unit, focused on providing command and control for SPACECENT,” said Lake.
Source: United States Airforce Central Command
Air Forces Central Airmen prepare humanitarian aid destined for airdrop over Gaza on an Air Mobility Command C-17 Globemaster III at an undisclosed location in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, March 25, 2024. Joint Base Charleston deployed C-17s to further enhance airdrop efforts to deliver humanitarian aid into Gaza. In the Coalition’s effort to support civilians suffering from the hardships of continued conflict in Gaza, the U.S. delivered aid via airdrop to ensure expedited delivery and access to critical aid. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Source: United States Airforce Central Command
U.S. Air Force loadmasters prepare to load Jordanian-provided humanitarian aid destined for Gaza onto a U.S. Air Forces Central HC-130J Combat King II at an undisclosed location within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, March 24, 2024. The U.S. has prioritized the delivery of humanitarian aid to relieve the suffering of civilians affected by the ongoing crisis in Gaza. The U.S. Air Force’s rapid global mobility capability enabled the expedited movement of critical, life-saving supplies to Gaza. (U.S. Air Force photo)