621st Contingency Response Wing

Last updated

621st Contingency Response Wing
USAF - 621st Contigency Response Wing.png
ActiveMarch 2005 – Present
CountryFlag of the United States.svg  United States
BranchFlag of the United States Air Force.svg  United States Air Force
TypeRapid Mobility, Contingency Response, Initial Airbase Holding
Size1500 military and civilian personnel
Part of Air Mobility Command
Garrison/HQ McGuire Air Force Base
Nickname(s)"The Devil Raiders"
Engagements War on Terror Operation Unified Response
Commanders
Current
commander		 Colonel Jason R. Herring

The 621st Contingency Response Wing (621 CRW) is a United States Air Force rapid response expeditionary wing, based out of the McGuire Air Force Base entity of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey and Travis Air Force Base, California highly-specialized in training and rapidly deploying personnel globally to quickly open airfields and establish, expand, sustain, and coordinate air mobility operations during a variety of contingency operations. [1]

Contents

The 621st consists of approximately 1500 airmen in six groups, fourteen squadrons and more than 20 geographically separated operating locations aligned with major Army and Marine Corps combat units. Four Contingency Response Groups (817th, 818th, 570th and 571st CRGs) provide the core cadre of expeditionary command and control, airlift and air refueling operations and aircraft maintenance personnel for deployment worldwide as mobility control teams and airfield assessment teams. These teams rapidly survey, assess and establish contingency air bases and expand existing Air Mobility Command support infrastructure worldwide. [1]

Mission

The 621st CRW is highly specialized in training and rapidly deploying personnel to quickly open airfields and establish, expand, sustain, and coordinate air mobility operations. From wartime taskings to disaster relief, the 621st extends Air Mobility Command's (AMC) reach in deploying people and equipment around the globe. [2]

Most of the operations can be classified by three types: Joint Task Force - Port Opening (JTF-PO), where USAF and US Army units create distribution chains; Expeditionary Air Mobility Support, (EAMS) where CRW personnel augment existing forces for the mission; and Initial Airbase Opening (IAO). Other operations include: Air Advisory with partner nations, augmenting or stand alone Command and Control (C2), and Air Advisory of airlift assets for U.S. Army and Marine Units.

History

621st airmen slingload a Humvee to a CH-53E Super Stallion at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. CH-53E slingloads Humvee at McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.jpg
621st airmen slingload a Humvee to a CH-53E Super Stallion at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
621st airmen prepare to depart Hamid Karzai International Airport during Operation Allies Refuge, August 2021 621st Contingency Response Wing rally to a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III to leave Hamid Karzai International Airport, August 2021.jpg
621st airmen prepare to depart Hamid Karzai International Airport during Operation Allies Refuge, August 2021

The 621st was established on 24 June 1994 as the 621st Air Mobility Operations Group before being activated on 22 July of that year at McGuire Air Force Base (part of Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst since 2009). It was expanded into the 621st Contingency Response Wing on 1 March 2005. [3] The 621st included four groups, eight squadrons and ten geographically separated operating locations aligned with major US Army and Marine Corps combat units. The wing maintains a ready corps of light, lean and agile mobility support forces able to respond as directed by the 18th Air Force at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., in order to meet Combatant Command wartime and humanitarian requirements. Following the 2010 Haiti earthquake of 12 January, the 817th Contingency Response Group deployed to Toussaint L'Ouverture International Airport, Port-au-Prince, Haiti in support of Operation Unified Response. [4] Before the earthquake, Toussaint L'Ouverture handled an average of 20 flights a day. Immediately following the earthquake this number jumped dramatically. At its peak on 19 January, more than 160 aircraft landed and were safely unloaded by the CRW—an 800 percent increase in air traffic from pre-disaster levels. [5]

In early 2010, Airmen from the 571st Contingency Response Group and 819th Global Support Squadron deployed to Camp Marmal, Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan to provide aerial cargo handling support for the Operation Enduring Freedom logistics surge. [6] The 816th Contingency Response Group was inactivated on 11 June 2010. [7] In August 2010, 30 Airmen from the 818th Contingency Response Group deployed as a Contingency Response Element, or CRE, to Chaklala Airbase, Pakistan. [8] Once deployed, they provided additional aerial port capabilities to increase aircraft loading efficiency for the Pakistan Air Force's Central Flood Relief Cell. [9]

Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Group deployed thrice in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. In 2015, they deployed to Iraq where it established an airstrip at al-Taqaddum to support coalition forces in the Battle for Ramadi. In 2016, the group established the Kobani airfield in Syria and also set up an airfield at Qayarrah West in Iraq to support coalition forces in the Battle of Mosul. In November 2016 Airman from the group with a contingent of civil engineers, intelligence personnel and security forces were temporarily deployed to expand and modify the airstrip that the Airmen had established at an air base where they deployed to near Kobani, so it can be used effectively to assist in the offensive to retake Raqqa from ISIS. The airbase gives the US an additional location for its aircraft to support U.S. and other anti-ISIS forces, but it had been used by US forces limitedly due to the condition of the runway which restricted what types of aircraft could land there. General Carlton Everhart II, commander of US Air Mobility Command, said that the base enables aircraft to deliver critical supplies, equipment and help position forces, he added that airmen from the 621st group have supported anti-ISIS coalition forces on the ground in Syria. [10]

In early 2021, the 621st was involved in the closure of numerous air fields and bases within Afghanistan as part of the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. On August 18, 2021, the Pentagon announced the deployment of the 621st back into Afghanistan to support evacuation operations following the collapse of the Afghan government. [11]

Operations for NASA

With a separation of over 1,000 miles, teams from the 621st remained ready to launch at a moment's notice in support of the Space Shuttle launches during the years of the program (1981-2011).

Designed to provide a quick response mobility force, the 621st CRW's shuttle support mission was only to be executed in the event of a post launch emergency that forced the shuttle to land at an alternate location. CRW Airmen sat on-call during the schedule launch to facilitate the response in case the shuttle mission was aborted. [12]

Lineage

Activated on 22 July 1994

Assignments

Components

621st Air Mobility Advisory Group (621 AMAG)

621st Contingency Response Group (621 CRG)

821st Contingency Response Group (821 CRG)

Stations

Related Research Articles

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McGuire AFB/McGuire, the common name of the McGuire unit of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a United States Air Force base in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, approximately 16.1 miles (25.9 km) south-southeast of Trenton. McGuire is under the jurisdiction of the Air Mobility Command. It was consolidated with two adjoining US Army and Navy facilities to become part of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst on 1 October 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eighteenth Air Force</span> Numbered air force of the United States Air Force responsible for air mobility forces

Eighteenth Air Force (Air Forces Transportation) (18 AF) is the only Numbered Air Force (NAF) in Air Mobility Command (AMC) and one of the largest NAFs in the United States Air Force. 18 AF was activated on 28 March 1951, inactivated on 1 January 1958, and re-activated on 1 October 2003. 18 AF is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twenty-First Air Force</span> Military unit

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">305th Air Mobility Wing</span> Military unit

The 305th Air Mobility Wing is a United States Air Force strategic airlift and air refueling wing under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command. It generates, mobilizes and deploys C-17 Globemaster III and KC-46A Pegasus aircraft. The 305th AMW is a tenant unit at mostly the McGuire AFB component of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in central New Jersey. It also controls one of the Air Force's busiest aerial ports, and the air operations at both McGuire Air Force Base and Naval Support Activity Lakehurst.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst</span> Military base in New Jersey, United States

Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst is a United States military facility located 18 miles (29 km) southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. The base is the only tri-service base in the United States Department of Defense and includes units from all six armed forces branches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HMLA-773</span> Military unit

Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 773 (HMLA-773) is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and Bell UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters. The squadron is based at Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst, NJ and Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 49 (MAG-49) and the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">615th Contingency Response Wing</span> Military unit

The 615th Contingency Response Wing was one of two Contingency Response Wings assigned to Air Mobility Command of the United States Air Force. The wing was headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, California. Its primary mission was to employ rapidly deployable cross-functional teams to open forward airbases in an expeditionary environment. The wing reported to the United States Air Force Expeditionary Center when it was inactivated in May 2012.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Jersey Air National Guard</span> Military unit

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References

  1. 1 2 "621st Contingency Response Wing". Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. Retrieved 18 August 2021.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  2. ↑ "621st Contingency Response Wing". 621st Contingency Response Wing Public Affairs. 13 September 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  3. ↑ Musser, James M. (12 June 2018). "Factsheet 621 Contingency Response Wing (AMC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency.
  4. ↑ Contingency Response Airmen return home after Haiti relief operations, 621st Contingency Response Wing Public Affairs
  5. ↑ FEATURE: CRW captain sees Haiti scene unfold from under brim of many hats, 621st Contingency Response Wing Public Affairs
  6. ↑ Contingency response team prides itself on 'worldwide mobility, overnight delivery', 621st Contingency Response Wing Public Affairs
  7. ↑ 816th Contingency Response Group inactivation ceremony takes parent wing into new era, 621st Contingency Response Wing Public Affairs
  8. ↑ Contingency Response Element providing critical airlift support in Pakistan, U.S. Air Forces Central Public Affairs
  9. ↑ Mobility Airmen continue to aid in international response, Air Mobility Command Public Affairs
  10. ↑ Copp, Tara (3 April 2017). "US expands air base in northern Syria for use in battle for Raqqa". Stars and Stripes.
  11. ↑ Wadington, Katie; Jackson, David; Vanden Brook, Tom (18 August 2021). "Afghanistan updates: Ghani accused of stealing $169M, calls to veterans crisis lines soar". USA Today . Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  12. ↑ Doyle, Dustin (12 March 2009). "621st CRW on-call to provide space shuttle support". 621st Contingency Response Wing Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 18 February 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
  13. ↑ Air Mobility Command Programming Plan 12-01
  14. ↑ "New Mobility Support Advisory Sq. adds outreach, education to mission of CRW". Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
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