Operation Deep Freeze summer season commences

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  • By 13th Air Force
HICKAM AFB, Hawaii --  An annual ritual that has persevered for more than 50 years was observed Oct. 1 in ChristChurch, New Zealand, when the (Mount) Erebus Chalice held at the ChristChurch Cathedral over the winter, was presented to the Joint Task Force Support Forces Antarctica. Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Bill Yates accepted the chalice and will transport it to the Chapel of the Snows at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, where it will remain for the summer season. A religious relic, the chalice symbolizes the Cathedral of ChristChurch's blessing of the Operation Deep Freeze mission and the city's enduring history since the heroic age of Antarctic exploration dating back to 1839. It will return to the cathedral with the last Operation Deep Freeze flight from McMurdo Station at the end of the summer season.

Sept. 30, the Antarctic Season Opening, which heralds the beginning of U.S. Air Force C-17 and LC-130 flights from McMurdo Station to Antarctica, was observed in ChristChurch. Brig. Gen. Greg Ihde, 13th Air Force vice commander, attended along with ChristChurch Mayor Garry Moore, the Argentinean and Italian ambassadors to New Zealand, U.S. Embassy officials, members of New Zealand Parliament, National Science Foundation officials and others.

During the ceremony, Colonel Ronald Smith, JTF SFA deputy commander, presented a proclamation to Mayor Moore on behalf of New York Governor George E. Pataki, proclaiming Sept. 30 as "Operation Deep Freeze Day." The New York Air National Guard flies LC-130s, a modified ski-equipped C-130 that can land on ice and snowfields, to support the operation.

Operation Deep Freeze is a unique joint and total force mission that has supported the National Science Foundation and U.S. Antarctic Program since 1955. The 2006-2007 operation kicked off in August with C-17 flights from ChristChurch to McMurdo Station to stage essential personnel and equipment and prepare the ice runway for the main C-17 and LC-130 operations. Main re-supply operations consist of C-17 supply flights between ChristChurch and McMurdo Station and LC-130 flights from McMurdo to South Pole and other camps throughout Antarctica.

One C-17 based at Christchurch will fly missions as required each week while up to nine LC-130s, depending on mission requirements, will fly multiple daily missions daily from their hub, McMurdo Station.

Vessel re-supply operations consist of two Military Sealift Command vessels delivering fuel and supplies to McMurdo Station. In early January, prior to the MSC vessels' arrival, a U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker will cut a channel through miles of ice allowing the ships access to the McMurdo Ice Pier.

All deployed forces are scheduled to return to home station by the end of February 2007, depending on completion of airlift operations.

Operation Deep Freeze is unlike any other U.S. military operation and is one of the most demanding peacetime missions due to the extreme adversity of the environment and the remoteness of Antarctica. Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, most inhospitable continent on the globe, and Operation Deep Freeze provides a challenging opportunity to demonstrate the reach and flexibility of airpower, the capabilities of the joint force and the integrated support of Active-Duty, Guard and Reserve military personnel.

Through the office of the Secretary of Defense, the Commander, U.S. Pacific Command has been designated to support the 2006-2007 Joint Task Force Support Forces Antarctica operation. CDRUSPACOM has delegated this joint operation to the Commander, Pacific Air Forces, who further delegated primary responsibility for execution of the JTF SFA operation to the Commander, 13th Air Force.

The U.S. military is uniquely equipped to assist the National Science Foundation in the accomplishment of its mission to explore Antarctica, and the 613th Air and Space Operations Center has the capability to provide joint operational and logistics support to the NSF around the clock. Through the 613th AOC strategic airlift, LC-130 field support airlift and other airlift as required; aeromedical evacuation support; emergency response; sealift; seaport access; bulk fuel supply; port cargo handling; communication and transportation requirements are coordinated.

Operation Deep Freeze involves active-duty and reserve C-17 support from McChord Air Force Base, Wash., LC-130 support from the New York Air National Guard, and other aircraft as necessary; U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers, and the U.S. Navy Cargo Handling Battalion One to provide critical port services at McMurdo Station.
The U.S. Navy ran the first Operation Deep Freeze mission in 1955 for exploration and scientific research and began supporting the National Science Foundation's research in Antarctica in 1959. The operation has evolved into a huge logistical effort, moving passengers and cargo for the NSF's research facilities in Antarctica. Christchurch International Airport is the staging point for deployment to McMurdo Station, a key research facility for the USAP.