386th AEW first with all-AF customs team


Staff Sgt. Jacob Byers and Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Chandra Merritt check through a service member's luggage as part of the customs process Dec. 21, 2010, in Southwest Asia. Officials from the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing were able to cut down the redeployment process with the implementation of an all-Air Force customs process, a first in the Air Force Central Command area of responsibility. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Cynthia Spalding)

386th AEW first with all-AF customs team

by Staff Sgt. Patrice Clarke
386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

12/28/2010 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) -- Due to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing's all-Air Force customs team, a first in the Air Force Central Command area of responsibility, a process that would usually require Airmen who are redeploying to stay confined to the passenger terminal for more than 14 hours was greatly reduced.

Senior Airman Ryan Reese, from the 386th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron, was in and out of the passenger terminal in less than 45 minutes as part of his redeployment process Dec. 21.

With the inception of this program the tedious hours spent waiting, or being bused from different bases throughout the AOR were eliminated, cutting the processing time from an average of 14 hours to as little as six hours, including the mandatory three-hour period passengers are required to be at the airport.

"When I arrived we had a very long and tedious redeployment process," said Capt. Thomas Smith, the 386th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron installation deployment officer. "We were tasked with finding a way of cutting the process down so the redeployers are not subjected to lockdown any longer than necessary."

Captain Smith and his team noticed Airmen spent about four to six hours traveling to and from different camps throughout the AOR and processing through customs, briefings and manifesting at those locations.

"We recognized early that the lack of a customs preclearance program at this location was the reason our redeployers were required to process through other installations," Captain Smith said. "Bringing customs here allowed us to collocate all aspects of the redeployment process, drastically reducing the overall processing time."

Members throughout the 386th ELRS were given the opportunity to volunteer to be trained and certified as U.S. Customs Border Clearance Agents.

"It made sense for me to volunteer to become a customs agent," said Master Sgt. Tim Stidhams, the 386th ELRS logistic plans superintendent and a customs agent. "Our squadron owns the (redeployment) process, so it would be beneficial to better understand it from both sides."

After two practice processing lines and one real-world processing line, the current customs team has exceeded projected processing times, Captain Smith said. More customs agents from the Navy are able to augment the current Air Force team any time there is a large number of passengers processing through the line.

"Our team is doing their part to ensure the redeployers get home in a timely manner," Captain Smith said.

One way redeployers can help speed up the process is by knowing the current customs rules and regulations.

"Many times the holdup comes when redeployers have prohibited items in their checked or carry-on luggage," Sergeant Stidhams said. "One thing we usually see is military-issue knives. Redeployers are allowed these items in their checked bag with the proper paperwork. Many times they are just missing the paperwork."

While the new process decreases the time spent waiting, redeployers will still be asked to exercise patience during the required baggage checks, which will be less intrusive once ordered x-ray baggage scan machines arrive.

"We have to check 100 percent of passenger's baggage to include carry-ons," Sergeant Stidhams said. "This means each person's bag gets opened and the contents removed. It's going to take some time, so we ask the passengers to be patient."

Airman Reese redeployed through the new system with the Air Force customs team and said he was impressed with how smooth the process went.

"(The process) saves everyone time and the headache that comes with just sitting around and waiting," Airman Reese said. "I was able to get through the line pretty quickly, even with the 100-percent bag check. Six hours for the entire process is always better than 14 hours."