Senior Airman Arielle Vasquez
By 50th Space Wing Public Affairs
SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower once stated, “You will not find it difficult to prove that battles, campaigns and even wars have been won or lost primarily because of logistics.”
Logistics is the proper coordination of operations involving people, supplies and facilities. The 50th Logistics Readiness Flight and logistics support they provide ensures the 50th Space Wing operations and missions at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, run smoothly.
“Since 2004, the Secure Area Logistics Facility has been providing capabilities to assure protection to mission critical space system assets and ensure safety of personnel on the base,” said Terrence Galloway, logistics manager with the 50th LRF.
The flight is comprised of several sections to include the deployment readiness cell, mobility readiness, cargo screening, support agreements and hazardous material management.
The 50th LRF mobility readiness section provides equipment support to Airmen preparing for deployment, including deployment bags, gas masks and tactical vests.
While the mobility and readiness section equips Airmen, the flight’s installation deployment readiness cell ensures they are ready for deployment.
“When we receive deployment taskings, we work with unit deployment managers to prepare Airmen for their deployments,” said David Collins, director of the 50th LRF.
The cargo screening section protects the assets in the restricted area by screening more than 200 all incoming freight and small parcels before it is transported throughout the base.
“Having this capability ensures proper anti-terrorism procedures are in place to protect both assets and personnel,” Collins said. “We are the last stop before packages enter the RA, so we take this very seriously.”
The support agreements section is administrative in nature and another crucial section within the flight. This section is responsible for establishing agreements focusing on base operating support with organizations residing on the installation as well as geographically separated units. The flight currently manages over 90 support agreements with the wing and its mission partners.
Last, but not least, the hazardous material management section is a one-member shop responsible for tracking hazardous material on the base. Items are considered hazardous when the item or agent has potential to cause harm to humans, animals or the environment. The HAZMAT shop accounts for all materials from receipt until they are entirely depleted and properly disposed.
While there are individual sections, the 20-member flight works hand-in-hand to support each other.
“Because the flight is small in size, there are times where we are required to learn functions in other sections to ensure the mission runs successfully,” Galloway said. “For example, we have individuals from other sections who are trained on machines for cargo screening.”
According to Collins, even though the 50th LRF is designated as a flight, their mission is often performed at a squadron level operations tempo.
“Currently the 21st Logistics Readiness Squadron at Peterson AFB, Colorado, provides a majority of the logistics requirements for Schriever AFB,” Collins said. “However, the continued growth of the 50th Space Wing mission encourages and drives the 50th LRF to stay on pace and prepared to assume greater responsibilities.”
Future plans for the 50th LRF include military construction for logistics facilities in 2023 and 2024. Additionally, the flight plans to increase its capabilities with the addition of vehicle operations. This will provide capabilities for vehicle operations and maintenance, as well as cargo shipping and receiving, packing and ultimately a complete material management function.
“We have a good team here,” Galloway said. “We take pride in what we do and to make sure we provide Airmen with support. Knowing we have such an important part in the mission means a lot to us.”
Collins agreed that the mission is crucial to the units pride.
“The members within the 50th LRF are proud of the mission we support,” Collins said. “I’m excited about the direction of the 50th LRF and to lead the flight into the future.”
