Scott Air Force Base News July 2023

Here is more news involving Scott Air Force Base.

Team Scott welcomes Col. Poole as new 375th Air Mobility Wing and installation commander

By Karen Petitt

375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

Team Scott welcomed the newest 375th Air Mobility Wing and Installation commander, Col. John Poole, after Col. Chris Robinson relinquished command.

The Robinsons are headed to Washington, D.C., where he will oversee executing the Air Force’s budget. Poole and his wife, Shellye, and children Britton, Everlye and Griffin, arrived here from Dyess AFB, Texas, where he served as the 317th Operations Group commander.

While at Dyess, Poole commanded 400 personnel and 28 C-130J aircraft engaged in combat airlift operations worldwide. He is a command pilot with over 2,700 flying hours in the C-130 and C-21A, with more than 1,100 combat hours and 22 combat missions spanning eight deployments to include Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom, and Inherent Resolve.

He earned his commission from the ROTC program at Texas A&M and currently holds a PhD in Military Strategy. He has served in staff positions at the Joint Staff, Air Staff, Combatant Command, Major Command and Numbered Air Force.

This is a return home for Poole, having lived and served here twice before. After giving thanks to friends, family and leaders who have helped shape his path to this season, he addressed the Airmen of the wing.

“It’s exciting to be back in a home where our oldest started kindergarten and is now going to finish high school and where our youngest took his first steps over in the house in Shiloh West. I’m looking forward to getting to know you and all the organizations ... Thank you for what you do every single day.”

Poole said he watched from afar as the wing transformed into a culture of combat ready warriors who deliver victory on the world’s stage ... preparing and innovating to fight and win in future conflicts.

“I’m grateful to serve alongside you, I’m honored to work for you and your families, and I hope to prove myself showcase worthy as I lead. Let’s go!”

The 375th AMW and Installation commander leads more than 3,100 personnel who provide aeromedical evacuation, operational support airlift for high priority passengers, and ensures the nation’s global reach through air refueling.

The 375th AMW also provides showcase support to 36 mission partners including United States Transportation Command, Air Mobility Command, and the 18th Air Force, totaling more than 13,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve, Department of Defense civilians, and contract personnel.

Robinsons bid farewell to Showcase Wing

By Senior Airman Mark Sulaica

375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

After two years of organizing the 375th Air Mobility Wing into a “Combat Ready, Showcase Worthy” machine, Col. Chris Robinson and his wife, Stephanie, bid a heartfelt farewell as they head to Washington, D.C., for their next assignment.

A change of command ceremony was held July 14 where he relinquished command to Col. John Poole, who arrived from his previous assignment at Dyess AFB, Texas, currently serving as commander of the 317th Operation Group.

“That would be the one word that very few people get to say. We have amazing Airmen, and we have a tremendous mission set ... and there’s nothing that has happened globally in the last two years where this wing hasn’t had some type of role,” Robinson said.

The wing’s involvement in significant events such as Operation Allies Refuge and Operation Allies Welcome, as well as providing critical assistance to Ukraine during the Russian invasion are just a few. He emphasized the unique capabilities of Air Mobility Command to project power worldwide and sustain it: “No one else can do what we do.”

Additionally, the wing’s innovation efforts such as the Scott Pass and a drone flying program gives time back to Airmen and offers an additional layer of safety by assessing situations before putting personnel at risk. For example, drones were used during the airshow to assess crowd counts, acquire footage, and look for security concerns. While having these devices is interesting, Robinson said it’s how the Airmen will harness their potential that is truly exciting.

Stephanie said she is grateful for being part of the Airmen’s lives, celebrating their promotions, accomplishments, challenges, and moments of happiness.

“Looking at what some of our Airmen and their families accomplish is so impressive, and I’m just so thankful for the chance to be associated with that. It really has been a special experience.”

Chris said Airmen are also the key to recruiting in order to grow the next generation of leaders and that anytime someone meets his high-performing and motivated Airmen, future recruits are inspired. It’s important they share their stories and continue to serve in their communities and make connections outside the gates.

“This has been a great place to live and raise a family. Our ultimate purpose is to project combat power for the United States of America, and we must excel at it,” he said. “While there are many nice-to-have things, we must prioritize the essential tasks first. I encourage everyone to continuously remind themselves of our organization’s purpose and function.

“As long as we stay committed to that and take care of one another, there is no enemy in the world that can match us. We will remain far ahead of them, leaving them unable to catch up. Let’s ensure that gap never closes.”

This time in history: Remembering the Great Flood of 1993

By Kris C. Matthews

375th Air Mobility Wing Historian

Responding to flood disasters is nothing new for the Air Force and the Mobility Air Forces in particular. With rescue and relief operations to aid numerous people, foreign and domestic, the mobility community is well-versed in such missions.

Scott AFB and the surrounding community is not immune to floods, and evidence of assistance to the local community exists all the way back to at least World War II. However, 30 years ago this summer, the Illinois and Missouri region suffered one of the most devastating flood events in history: The Great Flood of 1993.

From May through September that year, the flood covered nine states and 400,000 square miles. Three decades later, it remains the worst river flooding the U.S. has ever seen, with hundreds of levees failing and $15 billion in damages incurred.

While the impacts held off on the local area throughout May and June (which saw Scott’s air show bring in 85,000 members of the local community), by early July the waters were rising. Over 800 Team Scott volunteers jumped to the aid of neighbors in Illinois and Missouri.

Working 12-to-15-hour days in temperatures over 90 degrees, these volunteers filled tens of thousands of sandbags and built thousands of feet of walls, keeping the floodwaters from causing even more damage to homes and businesses.

The Defense Mapping Agency in St. Louis was particularly vulnerable. Today known as the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, DMA’s mission was to consolidate all U.S. military mapping activities. With its sensitive equipment, and of course thousands of paper maps, DMA saw water rise more than 30 feet above normal levels in July 1993.

Over 60 Scott volunteers helped fortify the area, resulting in 47-foot-high concrete and sandbag walls around the facility. They moved out what they could and sandbagged around the heavy printing equipment they couldn’t; DMA estimated this prevented four feet of water from entering the building. Unfortunately, the focus on building up the wall was the wrong decision: water would eventually penetrate the wall and enter the building, resulting in the loss of over 30,000 maps.

“The attitude has been great through this whole ordeal,” said Col. Rich Glorioso, commander of the 375th Logistics Group and leader of the Scott volunteers at the time. “Everyone has been rushing to get things done.

Mission success for experiments in Mobility Guardian 23

By Rachel Sansano

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii

Mobility Guardian 23 is giving U.S. and coalition forces an opportunity to experiment in the theater that matters.

“Experimenting in the Pacific is important because we’ve spent the last 20 plus years focused elsewhere in the world,” said Lt. Col. Matthew Novotney, MG23 Exercise Control Group Experiment Lead. “Testing new technology and ideas in this theater is what MG23 is all about.”

Two of these experiments, Agile Communication Systems and Magnetic Navigation, also known as MagNav, were proven to be effective during MG23 and ready for future operations.ACS combines Wi-Fi routers, solar panels batteries and an internet connection into a portable Wi-Fi mesh network that can be used anywhere on the globe.

“Many things that we take for granted stateside, like good cell phone service and nearly universal access to a Wi-Fi connection point, go away in austere, underdeveloped environments,” said Lt. Col. Ryan Szmajda, MG23 ACS Experiment Lead. “ACS virtually eliminates those shortfalls as a standalone intranet or as a complete internet gateway.”

This generator-free device is a consolidated, ruggedly packaged, deployable Wi-Fi kit with National Security Agency level encryption, allowing it to be used for secret and unclassified communications without being a DoD network.

“Setting up ACS is just as simple as setting up the Wi-Fi router in your house. By reducing the requirements necessary to build and maintain our communications, we are enabling our Airmen to develop cross-functional skill sets,” said Novotney. “With this capability, more Airmen are capable of setting up their communication needs, leading to a faster operations tempo.”

For more Scott Air Force Base news, visit www.scott.af.mil/.