521st Air Mobility Operations Wing | |
---|---|
Active | 1942–1947; 1949-18 November 1960; 2008 – Present |
Country | United States |
Branch | United States Air Force |
Type | Logistics Coordination |
Size | 1800 airmen permanently assigned plus 900 deployed to wing |
Part of |
Air Mobility Command Eighteenth Air Force United States Air Force Expeditionary Center |
Garrison/HQ | Ramstein Air Base |
Engagements | European Theater of World War II |
Decorations | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
Commanders | |
Current commander |
Colonel Thomas Cooper |
The 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing (AMOW) is part of Air Mobility Command and is stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It coordinates logistical air movements into, out of, and through Europe.
The 521st AMOW expedites warfighting and humanitarian efforts by the United States Air Force throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It provides all command and control, en route maintenance support and air transportation services for air mobility operations in its area of responsibility. It performs this through Aircraft Maintenance Units, Maintenance Operations Centers, Quality Assurance, Regional Training Center, fuel cell, Aerospace Ground Equipment, Forward Supply Location, and Maintenance Recovery Teams. It operates Air Terminal Operations Centers, providing passenger and fleet services, cargo processing, special handling, ramp services, and load planning.
The Wing is composed of two groups. These groups are assigned twelve squadrons and fourteen other geographically separated units.
The wing was originally constituted as the 555th Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion The unit served as an aircraft warning unit in defense of the continental United States from 1942 to 1943. The battalion moved to England in 1944 where it provided communications support until the day after the Normandy landings when it moved to support the invading forces in France. It moved frequently to support elements of Ninth Air Force, arriving in Belgium in September and Germany in March 1945. It continued it mission during the occupation of Germany from 1945. At the end of 1945, the battalion was converted to an Air Corps unit, redesignated the 501st Tactical Control Group and its component companies replaced by Aircraft Control and Warning Squadrons. It provided radar coverage and navigational aid to allied aircraft flying over the U.S. Zone of Occupied Germany in 1946 and 1947. It was inactivated in 1947.