At this small,
bare-bones, communist-era airfield located in the Hungarian countryside,
midpoint between Budapest and Vienna, American Airmen are writing a dynamic new
chapter in multinational cooperation and flight operations.
Airmen assigned to the Heavy Airlift Wing at Papa Air
Base, Hungary, work side by side with military personnel from 12
nations to provide critical cargo capability around the world with a fleet of
three C-17 Globemaster IIIs. While a flying unit comprised of 12 militaries may
seem infinitely complex, according to the wing commander, it allows them to
combine resources and share operational experiences between partners.
"Our mission is to fly strategic airlift for the
12 nations that are members of the Strategic Airlift Capability Program,"
said Col. Keith Boone, Heavy Airlift Wing commander. "Our reason for being
here is really to help enable some of the other nations that otherwise couldn't
have this capability. So building partnership capability is our mission ... and
we get a byproduct of 1,000 hours of C-17 missions and we learn a lot as
well."
Established in 2009 as the first non-NATO
multinational flying unit in the world, Papa AB is home to 40 U.S. Airmen. The concept of a multinational flying unit
actually spans more than 30 years, pioneered by the E-3A Component (NATO AWACS)
at Geilenkirchen Air Base, Germany. In more recent years, several NATO members and non-NATO
partners recognized a shortfall in cargo capability and a new framework was
developed to fill the gap.
Twelve countries pooled resources to buy and share
C-17 aircraft over a period of 30 years. NATO members include Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, the United States and non-NATO partner nations include Finland and Sweden. In the end, the arrangement works much like a timeshare
where nations are allocated flight hours in accordance with the amount of money
they pay into program.
Since C-17 operations began in 2009, the wing has
flown more than 500 missions, transported more than 29,000 passengers and
delivered more than 22,000 tons of cargo and supplies, with 80 percent of the
cargo going to Afghanistan in support of the International Security Assistance Force.
Additionally, the wing participated in cargo missions
to Iraq, Haiti, Uganda and also repatriated the remains of Polish President Lech
Kaczyinski and other officials who died in a 2010 airplane crash in Russia. They also support troop rotations and sustainment
operations and the capability will become even more critical in the months and
years ahead as nations begin to withdraw from Afghanistan.
According to Boone, the need for strategic airlift
goes beyond Afghanistan operations to include unforeseen requirements in the
future in locations like Africa and other places that are quickly reached from Central Europe.
"As militaries reduce their forces in Afghanistan it will be important for nations to have an organic,
reachable and affordable strategic airlift option that is theirs," said
Boone. "The need for airlift will transcend Afghanistan. I've been in airlift my entire career and there's always
more demand than capability."
The U.S. Air Force presence at Papa AB represents approximately one-third of the more than 130
multinational military personnel assigned to the wing. Some Airmen bring their
families for a multi-year tour and others come for a one-year unaccompanied
assignment and leave their families at Aviano or other home bases.
Papa AB is not like Ramstein or Aviano: there is no base exchange,
no commissary, no gas station, no gas cards and no American restaurants. The
only U.S. specific services available at the base are a U.S. post office and a U.S.-led flight medicine clinic for
routine health exams.
"I extended here because there is so much more
to do. My purpose here is to be a provider, to be an NCOIC and also to be a
change agent," said Tech. Sgt. Jason McElvaine, NCOIC of the flight
medicine clinic. McElvaine explained that upon arrival, he realized there was
no ability to track and access medical files digitally.
To improve healthcare for patients, McElvaine worked
for more than a year to provide the wing clinic with access to both the
Composite Health Care System and Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology
Application, which are the systems required to access and maintain electronic
health records.
In addition to mission demands and the need to
build-up newly established programs and services at the HAW, there is also an
abundance of additional duties that need to be managed by the small U.S. Air
Force contingent. For McElvaine, this means he is not only the clinic NCOIC and
an Independent Duty Medical technician that provides medical care to patients,
but he is also in charge of base water testing, health inspections of the
dining hall and gym facilities, drug testing for the Air Force Demand Reduction
Program and serves as the wing unit fitness program manager.
But despite the workload, McElvaine enjoys his
assignment at Papa and the opportunity to work in a multinational environment,
"Working here involves community relations and nation relations ... we're
always building relationships and making sure we do the right thing each time.
The wing to me is one big family: it's not just the Americans, it's everybody
together."
When it comes to C-17 operations, the small size of
the wing, combined with flying aircraft with crewmembers from different
nations, can be a big culture shock for Airmen. For Capt. Mike Boyer, a pilot
who has been at the wing for four months, the small size was a big change from
his previous assignment at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C.
"You don't have the huge support structure that
you would have with Air Mobility Command. Here it's on your shoulders to help
other people," he said. "I feel there's a lot more ownership of the
mission here ... you're not just a part of a big machine but you're an integral
part of the mission and literally making it happen."
The multinational composition of the wing provides a
unique operating environment that gives new perspective on C-17 operations and
the challenges of being an instructor to pilots who are new to the C-17
aircraft and speak English as a second language.
"We get to see 12 different opinions and ideas
about the same thing. It's fun and interesting ... I like it," said Boyer.
"I'm used to working with C-17 homegrown pilots and these guys come from
all kinds of different backgrounds ... single seat fighters, Russian made
aircraft and all sorts of strange aircraft that we aren't used to seeing in the
U.S. Air Force. As an instructor you have to choose your words to be clearly
understood and you have to express complex thoughts on a more basic
level," he said.
From the perspective of a multinational crewmember,
working at the wing is an interesting challenge that gives insight into the
U.S. Air Force and the way we do things in America.
"It's quite interesting and together it's a good
mix I think," said 1st Lt. Frederik Nilsson, a Swedish airman who
previously worked as a crew chief and loadmaster on a 32-passenger aircraft
that operated at a base located near the Arctic Circle.
"It's a give and take also. The Americans have
their regulations and we have our regulations (in Sweden) and together we have to create something that works for
us here at the Heavy Airlift Wing. That's a challenge but very
interesting."
One thing that everybody at the wing seems to agree
upon is that the multinational experience Airmen get at Papa AB is more than just a novelty; it's a career changing event
that has both personal and professional rewards.
"Coming here and experiencing something outside
the mainstream Air Force is so valuable to your career. You become a more
well-rounded person and you bring a lot more value back to the Air Force,"
said Boyer.
