(Vocus) September 1, 2008 -- The Air Force and Air Mobility Command have evacuated more than 3,100 passengers from the Gulf Coast in preparation for Hurricane Gustav, using a combination of Active duty, Air Force Reserve and commercially-contracted flights. This includes more than 120 patients aeromedically evacuated to safety.
To date, the 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., has coordinated a total of 47 flights carrying passengers. Airlift operations are expected to continue until weather conditions make it unsafe to fly. The TACC plans, schedules and tracks tanker, airlift and aeromedical evacuation aircraft worldwide and is capable of seamlessly transitioning from day-to-day operations to contingency support or disaster relief.
Air Forces Northern (AFNORTH) at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., is the Air Force organization responsible for providing Air Force resources to USNORTHCOM for Defense Support of Civil Authorities.
"We're ready and leaning forward to anticipate mission assignments," said Maj. Gen. Hank Morrow, 1st Air Force (AFNORTH) commander. "We bring a wealth of military capabilities to save lives, reduce suffering and minimize property damage."
Distinctive Air Force support missions during defense support to civilian authorities (DSCA) include air transport, search and rescue, medical evacuation, incident awareness and disaster assessment through imagery and full motion video, general personnel evacuation, airspace safety and control, and aerial spray pest control.
Keesler AFB, MS., is the only base to order all non-storm essential Keesler employees to evacuate with family members. 18 C-130J's from the 403rd Air Reserve Wing at Keesler AFB have been evacuated. Ten of these aircraft are known as the "Hurricane Hunters" and are currently operating out of Homestead Air Reserve Base south of Miami, Fla. They have been an invaluable asset flying through Hurricane GUSTAV helping provide timely weather information (www.403wg.afrc.af.mil) from inside the storm.
VISTA Wins Army National Guard Work in Montana, Utah and Ohio -- Subject Matter Experts to Continue Work on Army RPLANS and ASIP Systems
VISTA Technology Services, Inc. (VISTA) was recently awarded three contracts to provide support, training and analysis on real property- and logistics-oriented computer systems for the Montana, Ohio and Utah Army National Guards. The contract wins are a continuation of the company's work in the Army's Real Property Planning and Analysis System (RPLANS) and Army Stationing and Installation Plan (ASIP). These databases support the budgeting of Army facilities sustainment, base operations, and military construction.
CH2M HILL - KZF Design Wins National Design Award from U.S. Air Force
CH2M HILL and KZF Design were awarded a U.S. Air Force national design award for concept design of the United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) consolidation facility at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. CH2M HILL partnered with KZF Design on the winning project.
RecruitMilitary, National Recruiting Leader for Transitioning Military Personnel, Responds to Berkeley Marines Incident
RecruitMilitary, the nation's leading military-to-civilian recruiting firm, has launched a Web site, www.BerkeleyMarines.com, to support a Marine recruiting center in Berkeley, California. The Berkeley City Council declared on January 29 that the recruiters at the center were "uninvited and unwanted intruders." RecruitMilitary has launched the site to generate awareness of the council's behavior and to provide a forum for citizens who support the center and its staff.
US Coast Guard Approves Wide Spread use of Sponge Media Abrasive
The United States Coast Guard released its latest Commandant Notice 10360. In Chapter 5: Preparation of Surfaces, Section D -Alternative Preparation Methods, the Sponge-Jet technology is listed as an effective alternative to other conventional abrasive technologies - and further that the "Sponge-Jet media and process may be used as an alternative to conventional grit blasting?"
"Two Tankers Down," Story of Coast Guard's Greatest Cape Cod Rescue, Releases
"Two Tankers Down," the story of the rescue of officers and crew from the tankers the SS Fort Mercer and the SS Pendleton, has been released by Lyons Press. Maritime Writer Robert R. Frump, author of "Until the Sea Shall Free Them," is the author of the new book, which tells the story of Bernard C. Webber, a young Coast Guardsman who steers his small boat through mountainous oceans. It is considered the greatest small boat rescue in U.S. Coast Guard history.