Preparing for deployment: Logistics Plans

  • Published
  • By Airman Tristan D. Viglianco
  • 9th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs

Every year members of the Air Force deploy to locations worldwide in support of national objectives. Beale deploys approximately 1000 Airmen a year to a variety of places around the globe. A great deal goes into making sure everything goes smoothly and logistics plans plays a large part in the process.

 

“Logistics plans is essentially making sure deployers get downrange with what they need and the equipment gets there in one piece,” said Staff Sgt. Zachary Porter, 9th Logistics Readiness Squadron noncommissioned officer in charge of deployment planning and operations. “We’re the ones who plan out what kind of aircraft the supplies go on and schedule it to be loaded.”

 

9th LRS log planners play a vital role in ensuring Beale’s mission as well as the Air Force mission as a whole is accomplished.

 

“Without log planners anything to do with deployments wouldn’t happen,” said Airman 1st Class Robert Youngkin, 9th LRS deployment ops specialist. “No one would support the mission overseas, combatant commanders would be left empty handed.”

 

To ensure combatant commanders have their required personnel, taskings for deployments are funneled down through logistics plans before they reach individual units.

 

“We are the focal point for anything involving deployments on the base. We receive and acknowledge taskings from the MAJCOM level,” said Youngkin. “We check our systems three times a day and pull reports for the Unit Deployment Managers.”

 

Logistic plans works closely with UDMs to make sure the units on base and personnel are prepared for deployments.

 

“UDMs are in every single unit and we assist them in making sure deployers are good to go. We give them initial and reoccurring training,” said Porter. “Through them we touch almost every single career field.”

 

The job isn’t just limited to home station either. They play an important part downrange themselves.

 

“Our deployed role is to send people back,” said Youngkin. “Without log planners people wouldn’t be able to go home.”

 

All of the work logistic plans does allows them to have a perspective not everyone in the Air Force has the opportunity to see firsthand.

 

“We get to experience large scale operations and see the whole force and what it does,” said Youngkin. “We get to see the big picture of the Air Force and how we support the mission.”