Reserve unit takes over Pacific Refueling Operations

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Ryan Whitney
  • 36th Wing Public Affairs
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam --  More than 100 Airmen and four KC-135 Stratotankers from the 434th Air Refueling Wing arrived on Guam to take over Pacific refueling operations from the 171st Air Refueling Wing Dec. 31.

Deployed here from Grissom Air Reserve Base, Ind., to support the continuous bomber presence and theater security package, the 434th ARW will also refuel the upcoming F-22 roataion scheduled to arrive here mid-January, in support of Andersen's global deterrence mission.

"We are here primarily to support the continuous bomber presence here, but as one of the primary refueling operations in the Pacific, we will probably be supporting most of the requests we get from units throughout the Pacific." said Lt. Col. Mark Sigler, 434th ARW commander. 

The 434th ARW will also support many exercises throughout the pacific, like the upcoming Cope North exercise, a two week bilateral exercise involving units from the U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Japan Air Self Defense Force scheduled for the beginning of February.

Pacific refueling operations will be conducted by two teams of Airmen from Grissom, with each team deploying for 60-days.

"The majority of the initial team will be switching out near the end of February, with the exception of around 20 Airmen, who will remain in place for continuity purposes," said Colonel Sigler, who is deployed here for the fourth time in six years. "We are still a self-sustaining force though, we have brought many types of Airmen with us including combat communications, intelligence, a flight surgeon and all the equipment we need to fly."

Another strength the 434th ARW brings to the mission is continuity. The past four units to deploy here have been Air National Guard units who rotated Airmen out of Guam every two weeks, leaving little continuity between pilots of other platforms and the tankers.

Each 434th aircraft deploys with the same aircrew wherever it goes. "Some of our maintainers have been working on the same aircraft for the past 10 to 15 years, so they have pride in the aircraft the y are assigned to," the commander continued. "The pride in their work is obvious, after we landed, none of our aircraft had any type of maintenance problems, and that is a testament to their attention-to-detail."

Even as their Airmen and some aircraft were still arriving Dec. 31, the 434th ARW accepted a request from the 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron to refuel them during a local training sortie.

"The support we have received in the short time we have been here has been exceptional. From lodging and the dining facility, to the permanent party maintenance and operations, they have truly made our integration into operations here seamless," Colonel Sigler said.