Enduring airlift

Abstract

The Air Force's mobility fleet has been vital throughout eight years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, swiftly and reliably moving thousands of service members, contractors, bullets, guns, supplies, water. While airlift proved important in the Iraq war, it may well become decisive for the renewed US war effort in Afghanistan. In July, US and coalition forces of Operation Enduring Freedom generated a record: Some 3.3 million pounds of supplies were air-dropped around the country. Deliveries ranged from combat support supplies to humanitarian goods. Given Afghanistan's difficult geographic circumstances and delicate regional politics, sustainment of American operations in Afghanistan has long been a concern of US officials. Dover is one of the Defense Department's busiest US logistical hubs, providing some 25 percent of USAF's global airlift capability and home to the 436th Aerial Port Squadron. The 436th is currently DOD's largest air freight operation, and serves as the aerial port for much of the materiel headed east to Southwest Asia.