A joint force of 106 airmen, 51 soldiers, and three civilians from the Defense Logistics Agency deployed to JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., for exercise Turbo Distribution 15-7, a US Transportation Command event designed to assess the Joint Task Force-Port Opening concept and capabilities in a humanitarian relief operation. The airmen, assigned to the 821st Contingency Response Group at Travis AFB, Calif., joined soldiers from the 690th Rapid Port Opening Element from JB Langley-Eustis, Va., to establish a forward distribution node for logistics to support a US State Department-led relief mission, during which DLA representatives helped ensure onward movement of the cargo. From forming plans to carrying out operations, the events help personnel learn tactic, techniques, procedures, and processes, said Col. Rhett Champagne, the 821st CRG commander, and head of the JTF-PO for the exercise. Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing, which has units at both Travis and JB MDL, train on a quarterly basis to keep proficiency in key contingency response tasks. (Air Mobility Command release.)
Three B-1B Lancers from the 7th Bomb Wing flew over the Indo-Pacific alongside F-16s from the Japanese Air Self Defense Force recently, as part of a joint large force exercise. The mission began and ended in the continental U.S., as the bombers flew 31 hours and landed Jan. 11.