JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. —
Gen. Mike Minihan, commander of Air Mobility Command, and Chief Master Sgt. Brian Kruzelnick, AMC command chief, visited the 621st Contingency Response Wing at Travis Air Force Base, California, Feb. 11.
The command team visited with the 621st CRW Airmen as part of their two-day visit to the base. They were able to meet Airmen from the wing to see how they are getting after AMC priorities of developing the force, advancing warfighting capabilities, projecting the joint force and ensuring strategic deterrence.
“The alignment and their drive to get after the pacing challenge and what it takes to fight and win with a near-peer adversary — they are setting the standard for what every unit should be doing to make sure they’re ready to fight,” said Minihan.
The command team started their visit to the wing with an overview of the 621st Air Mobility Advisory Group where they talked with 321st Air Mobility Operations Squadron Airmen about their ability to plan air mobility missions and carry out command and control within any theater. They also met with air advisors about their building partner capacity, the success with their missions they conduct with partner nations, as well as the strategic vision for future air advisor employment.
“We need to make sure we get the air advisor role into the Pacific at a greater pace than has been in the past as we orient on the near-peer challenge,” Minihan said. “We need to go into the Pacific and exercise and rehearse with the teams that are already there to make sure we understand each other’s capabilities and needs.”
The team then transitioned to a discussion with the 621st Contingency Response Group. They discussed CR modernization and some of the equipment modernization the unit isworking through which will help them better advertise their capabilities to Combatant Commanders and streamline mission planning. They also experienced some tactical equipment including an MRZR light tactical all-terrain vehicle followed by a presentation of contingency response element and team capabilities.
“I think the CRW is an organization with AMC that, by nature, is in a constant state of evaluating how they’re organized, trained and equipped to get after the missions that are most meaningful,” Minihan said. “The generation of what’s needed to be relevant for the CRW is going to come from within the CRW. My job within the headquarters of AMC is to do everything within my power to make sure they’ve got the resources needed, that I create the time to train, and so when they’re called – not if they’re called, but when they’re called – they can get after the mission with the same tenacity they’ve always demonstrated.”
During his visit, the general coined several star performers, including an aerospace ground equipment Airman who has been embracing the Multi-capable Airman concept by serving as the noncommissioned officer in charge of the armory, and another Airman who experienced back-to-back deployments last year.
“It felt good to be recognized, but at the end of the day I was just doing my job and just doing what needed to be done,” said Senior Airman Trevon Walker, 921st Contingency Response Squadron CR air traffic controller who deployed for the Afghanistan retrograde in May and deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan, in August for Operation Allies Refuge. “I’ve been in AMC my entire career, so it felt great meeting my (major command) commander.”
Before departing, Minihan addressed the wing about how they’ve been a pioneering force of the MCA concept as well as the legacy and impact of CR operations over the years, including the wing’s critical support to Operations Allies Refuge and Allies Welcome in 2021.
“The tenacity and the bravery and the courage demonstrated in operations always, but specifically over the last six months, is incredibly humbling and it’s inspiring to hear the first-person stories about how they get after our nation’s priorities,” Minihan said.
