Members of the 621st Contingency Response Wing from JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., wrapped up operations at Burgas Airport, Bulgaria, and at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania after a more than three-week deployment. Their work was twofold: help assess the practicality of using MK, together with the Romanian Black Sea port at Constanta, as a hub for equipment flowing in and out of Afghanistan; and support the temporary basing of several C-17 transports at MK and KC-135 tankers at Burgas. The tankers supported air operations in Southwest Asia. The CRW arrived on May 9 at both locations to set up airfield operations and pave the way for follow-on aircraft and personnel. A contingency response element of about 50 personnel established cargo operations at MK, while a smaller team of 12 airmen staged tanker operations out of Burgas. (Mihail Kogalniceanu report by MSgt. Laura K. Deckman)
The Pentagon plans to use U.S. Air Force C-17s and C-130s to deport 5,400 people currently detained by Customs and Border Protection, officials announced Jan. 22, the first act in President Donald Trump’s sweeping promise to crack down on undocumented immigrants and increase border security.