Mobility teams gearing up for Air Mobility Rodeo 2011

News > Mobility teams gearing up for Air Mobility Rodeo 2011

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Air Mobility Rodeo 2011 takes place July 24 to 29, 2011, at McChord Field on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. (U.S. Air Force Graphic)
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• Air Mobility Rodeo 2011 fact sheet

Mobility teams gearing up for Air Mobility Rodeo 2011

Posted 6/20/2011

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6/20/2011 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFNS) -- Air Mobility Rodeo 2011, sponsored by Air Mobility Command officials, is set to take place July 24 to 29 at McChord Field on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

Rodeo is a readiness competition that "focuses on improving our worldwide air mobility forces' professional core abilities," AMC officials said.

More than 150 teams and 3,000 people from the Air Force and Air Force Reserve, as well as allied nations, are expected to participate.

Rodeo began in October 1956, history shows. At that time, officials from 13 troop carrier wings from Continental Air Command, predecessor to Air Force Reserve Command, sent crews to participate in a "Reserve Troop Carrier Rodeo" at Bakalar Air Force Base, Ind. The first airdrop competition for units of the active-duty force occurred in April 1962, when Military Air Transport Service officials held a MATS-wide Rodeo at Scott AFB.

The 1962 Rodeo competition was a combat skills competition designed to develop and improve techniques and procedures while enhancing air mobility operations and promoting esprit de corps.

In 1979, Rodeo was expanded to include international air mobility partners.

"Rodeo tests the flight and ground skills of aircrews as well as the related skills of special tactics, security forces, aerial port operations, aeromedical evacuation and maintenance team members," the competition fact sheet states. "It also provides valuable joint and combined training for all participants."

The last Rodeo competition took place in July 2009 at McChord AFB.

(Courtesy of Air Mobility Command Public Affairs)

Comments

6/26/2011 1:10:57 PM ET
Rodeo is not for learning anything new from anyone. It's bragging rights for 2 years and millions of dollars burnt up for no other reason than ego and promotion bullets. You learn at home station and execute in the AOR. Rodeo jams up an already hurting flying schedule and does not contribute to aircrew training or sortie generation. In a world with our government having to raise its debt ceiling, this is borderline criminal. Such a waste of valuable resources.

TSgt Picka, MDL

6/23/2011 1:13:10 PM ET
We should probably cancel Red Flag. It's a competition and costs money. It would be cheaper to just deploy our Air Force without any large scale training exercises that have any sort of competitive nature to them.

Greg, UT

6/22/2011 5:36:03 PM ET
First to Another SNCO not at Hickam AFB: I have been to two AMC Rodeos. All it was was a giant drunk fest. If it was truly a training environment and a way to train with international cooperation, we already do that. That excercise is another drunk fest called Red Flag, held in Las Vegas. I agree with the SNCO from Hickam. Why are we wasting millions of dollars and man hours on this? I know from the past, from a previous assignment, we spent in excess of $40K just to make one FMC airplane that just came back from refurb look good just to make it look good for the Rodeo judges. We grounded the plane for months for no other reason than to make it look good. The maintenance technicians worked 16-hour days for months just to make one jet in a base's fleet look good while everyone else on the flightline suffered from the loss of manpower and an FMC aircraft to use on real world missions. So if one base was given $40K to make one plane, I'd imagine every other base was given the sam

AF NCO, JBMDL

6/22/2011 12:21:52 PM ET
If we want to really save money, stop paying for games, conferences and professional development outside of PME. We spend in excess of $6 million a year to send people to the ATA Symposium. Waste!

Junior, Edwards

6/22/2011 10:42:16 AM ET
This is a neat experience but not worth the money. We are pinching pennies on regular missions but somehow allowed to waste gas training for a competition. If there was a recruiting incentive like at an airshow then maybe, but hardly any spectators even know about Rodeo.

AF Major, Oklahoma

6/22/2011 9:19:41 AM ET
Why don't we get rid of the many AF Bands instead of shutting down the Mobility Rodeo. Everytime I turn around there is another band popping up and touring the AOR. Call it what it is: fraud, waste and abuse. Money that could be spent better elsewhere.

Herc, TX

6/22/2011 9:13:36 AM ET
Mr. AF SNCO - While you can comment on why an event such as Rodeo should not be completed in, as you say, today's fiscally-constrained environment, keep in mind the level of training and international cooperation that is achieved from this effort. If you've attended and worked an event like this you would easily see the capabilities achieved from this kind of competition are unsurpassed. I can understand your concern but the benefits of this competition are bigger than you know.

Another AF SNCO, Not at Hickam AFB

6/21/2011 4:37:24 PM ET
I completely agree with AF SNCO Hickam AFB. I ask myself the same questions with regards to Guardian Challenge.

Arctic Warrior, Colorado Springs CO

6/21/2011 9:57:18 AM ET
In our fiscally constrained environment why are we spending money on this? People in every AFSC would love to have something like this to test their skills but we simply can't afford it as a Service. When our Airmen are losing their jobs so we can modernize the AF and we have been training and fighting in a joint environment for many years, it simply doesn't make sense for this expenditure. Watch and see where cuts are made as we trim our budget this next year.

AF SNCO, Hickam AFB

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