Afghan Air Force Cargo Volume Burdensome

MC1 (AW) Elizabeth Burke, USN
NTM-A

Resupply is an essential part of any organization. For the Afghan National Army (ANA), the aerial port is critical to resupplying troops in the field.

The aerial port is based at the Afghan National Army Air Force (ANAAF) base at the Kabul International Airport. The concept of an aerial port has been around for a long time, but increasing the capabilities is the job of the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing, Combined Air Power Transition Force. Master Sgt. Michael Dow is the ANAAF Aerial Port mentor.

“This group of guys is awesome. There are 23 of them and they are very, very hardworking. I am never disappointed,” said Dow, a Watertown, New York native.

These 23 guys are responsible for moving cargo, ammunition, weapons and passengers on all Afghan National Army Air Force aircraft. Most of the group has been together for the last 18 months starting with basic training and the three month Basic Aerial Port class at the Army Air Force training academy. Literacy is a problem, but soldiers are trained in the areas they show an aptitude for. They keep meticulous records of passengers, take off and landings times and amount and type of cargo they are transporting.

“We are very proud of what we do. We love our job,” said Major Dawood Sediqi, Aerial Port Commander. “Work officially starts 7 a.m. The guys come in early and stay late, because they love their job. They love what they do, it makes them feel good. They do their job and they don’t expect an extra paycheck for that.”

The Afghan National Army Air Force aerial port cargo area is free of cargo today. In the last week alone, they moved 19 tons of cargo and for the first time, independently loaded 3,900 pounds of cargo on the Afghan Army Air Force newest transport plane, the C-27.

“That was not a problem for me, I felt safe and normal. It wasn’t hard for me,” said Inudin Safi aerial port forklift operator.

 “They did it with no problems,” Dow said. “I had no doubts.”

There are two Afghan aerial port soldiers and two CAPTF mentors in Kandahar and a new aerial port mentor for Jalalabad has just arrived. Future aerial ports are planned for Shindand and Herat.

“I think they are self sufficient. I am in a position right now where I am tweaking things,” said Master Sgt. Dow.

The International Security Assistance Force supports ANA cargo movements, but lately the volume has become a burden on the cargo contractor. The Afghan Army Air Force is limited on aircraft, but maximizes capacity. Since January of this year, they have transported over 250,000 pounds of cargo and over 32,000 passengers. The Afghan Army Air Force aerial port has been taking on more responsibility and taking many of the resupply missions from ISAF.

The next big project for Master Sgt. Dow is going to be standing up the Air Transportation Operations Center. The ATOC is the nerve center of the aerial port and oversees: passenger processing, cargo processing, aircraft commander briefs, cargo and passenger manifests, trouble shooting for aircraft cargo and passenger on loading/offloading. Five soldiers have been chosen based on their performance and they will now undergo intensive training and upon completion will act as quality assurance of the aerial port.

“I will be working hard with these five highly motivated individuals and with their hard work and motivation they will be a well oiled machine knowing everything there is about operations within the aerial port,” Master Sgt. Dow said.

Category: News - Afghan Air Force