The 621st Contingency Response Wing is highly-specialized in training and rapidly deploying personnel to quickly open airfields and establish, expand, sustain, and coordinate air mobility operations. From wartime taskings to disaster relief, the 621st extends Air Mobility Command's (AMC) reach in deploying people and equipment around the globe.
Established in March 2005 and based at both Joint Base McGuire-Dix Lakehurst, N.J. and Travis Air Force Base, Calif., the 621st consists of approximately 1,500 Airmen in three groups, eleven squadrons and more than 20 geographically separated operating locations aligned with major Army and Marine Corps combat units. The wing maintains a ready corps of light, lean and agile mobility support forces able to respond as directed by AMC, at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., in order to meet Combatant Command wartime and humanitarian requirements.
Two Contingency Response Groups (821st CRG and 621st CRG) provide the core cadre of expeditionary command and control, airlift and air refueling operations, aerial port, and aircraft maintenance personnel for deployment worldwide as mobility control teams and airfield assessment teams. These teams rapidly survey, assess and establish contingency air base lodgments and expand existing AMC support infrastructure worldwide. Each CRG has two Contingency Response Squadrons and a Contingency Response Support Squadron.
The Contingency Response Squadrons perform aircraft quick-turn maintenance, airfield management, passenger and cargo movement, and command and control of personnel, aircraft, supplies threat assessment, force protection, air traffic control, weather, airfield systems maintenance, finance and contracting.
The Contingency Response Support Squadrons deploy contingency response forces to locations where the en-route support for AMC's global air mobility operations is insufficient or nonexistent. In garrison, each CRSS manages and maintains the wing's assigned equipment as well as facilitating training for and equipping 621st CRW assigned personnel.
The 621st Air Mobility Advisory Group contains the 571st and 818th Mobility Support Advisory Squadrons (MSAS), 321st and 621st Air Mobility Operations Squadrons (AMOS) and the 621st Mobility Support Operations Squadron (MSOS).
Each MSAS unit focuses on the mutual exchange of air mobility concepts and procedures with partner nations in the development of their air mobility systems -- the 818th MSAS is primarily focused on operations in Africa, while the 571st MSAS is trained to operate in Central and South America.
The 321st and 621st AMOS provide operational, level-of-war planning and execution of theater airlift, air refueling and aeromedical evacuation missions. The squadrons accomplish this role by augmenting existing Air Mobility Divisions (AMD) or Air and Space Operations Centers within the theater, or by standing up an independent AMD in austere environments. While performing AMD duties, AMOS personnel synchronize scheduling of all theater-owned airframes and aircrew to meet the theater commanders' mobility objectives.
The 621st MSOS is comprised of Air Mobility Liaison Officers (AMLO) and Expeditionary Air Ground Liaison Elements (EAGLE) who provide air mobility expertise to Army/Marine/Special Operations units at the Regiment, Division and Corps levels. Dispersed across 20 locations and 16 time zones, AMLOs of the 621st MSOS are fully embedded with their aligned joint units to support any exercise, deployment or contingency. AMLO operating locations include: Joint Base MDL, New Jersey; Fort Drum, New York; Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; Fort Stewart and Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Campbell; Fort Carson, Colorado; Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington; Camp Pendleton, California; Fort Hood, Fort Bliss, and Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Grafenwohr and Wiesbaden, Germany; Vicenza, Italy; Okinawa, Japan, and the Republic of Korea. In addition, the EAGLEs located at Joint Base MDL advise and assist joint interagency, intergovernmental, and multinational partners with cargo preparation, passenger movement, cargo documentation, and command and control capability.
Today, more than ever, the Air Force is supporting mobility operations all over the globe. Operations such as INHERENT RESOLVE in Iraq and Syria, UNITED ASSISTANCE in Africa, Afghanistan retrograde operations and humanitarian assistance deployments such as, Hurricanes Irma, Maria, Matthew, and Katrina, and the Haiti and Pakistan earthquake relief operations.
Recently, the 621st CRW assessed airfields in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian, prepared partner nations to conduct their first strategic combat deployments and interdict drug smugglers in the Caribbean. A contingency mission conducted for Operation SPARTAN SHIELD resulted in the return of American forces to Prince Sultan Air Base after an absence of 13 years to strengthen the defenses of Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, humanitarian missions performed in New York, Maryland and Washington helped identify and halt the spread of COVID-19. These operations represent the diverse missions Airmen perform and are tributes to the 621st CRW's enduring capabilities and readiness to provide support whenever and wherever the requirement exists.