U.S. Air Force Col. Charles Henderson, 621st Contingency Response Wing commander, speaks to members of the United Kingdom Royal Air Force Expeditionary Air Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey August 22, 2016. The CRW is trained to deploy at a moment’s notice anywhere around the world to open bare base airfields in austere environments. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Gustavo Gonzalez)

CRW, RAF exchange CR knowledge

U.S. Air Force Col. Charles Henderson, 621st Contingency Response Wing commander, speaks to members of the United Kingdom Royal Air Force Expeditionary Air Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey August 22, 2016. The CRW is trained to deploy at a moment’s notice anywhere around the world to open bare base airfields in austere environments. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Gustavo Gonzalez)
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CRW, RAF exchange CR knowledge

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Gustavo Gonzalez
  • 621st Contingency Response Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  
The intensity of the music was matched by the images in a video that was on display in the conference room of a squared windowless building that is the headquarters for the 621st Contingency Response Wing.

At the conclusion of the three-minute 621st CRW mission video shown to the members of the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force Expeditionary Air Wing in attendance, Col. Charles Henderson, 621st CRW commander, answered questions.

“We all have day jobs and are pulled from different units when we deploy,” said a member of the RAF. “When you’re not deployed, what do you do?”

“We train and exercise,” Henderson said. “This is why we have the ability to deploy within a 12-hour notice.”

The 621st CRW is the only CRW in the U.S. military. They are trained to deploy at a moment’s notice anywhere around the world to open bare base airfields in austere environments.

The EAW is the RAF version of the CRW.

Approximately 26 members of the EAW visited Joint Base-McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey Aug. 13-28 to share information regarding contingency response, hosted by the 421st Contingency Training Squadron.

“This is an introduction and insight for the U.K. Armed Forces personnel into the CRW in an expeditionary setting,” said Squadron Leader Liz Dawson, RAF member. “This relationship has allowed EAWs to deploy key staff to work in a highly developed training environment alongside the contingency response groups.”

The CRW gave the RAF members a tour of the Global Reach Deployment Center, a storage facility where most of the equipment for the CRW is kept. Additionally, they showcased their capabilities during a demonstration highlighting communications, security forces, advanced team, aerial port, and maintenance.

According to 1st Lt. Daniel Wilson, 621st Contingency Response Support Squadron operations flight commander, the RAF is not the only unit benefiting from this engagement.

“It’s absolutely beneficial for the CRW because you can always learn from a different perspective,” he said. “Whenever you can learn from a different country and the way they do business, its value added. It’s also a great opportunity for our airmen to interact with other countries and learn from them and build those partnerships.”

Wing Commander Chris Thorp, RAF member, expressed his gratitude during the tour.

“As always, our hosts have given our training personnel first-class support, ensuring our training enhances both expeditionary operations and interoperability with our coalition partners,” he said. “We have been privileged to visit the 621st CRW where we have again highlighted our strong partnership and expeditionary parallels, proving how we can seamlessly work together now and in future operations. We very much hope to return to JB MDL in 2017.”
U.S. Air Force Col. Charles Henderson, 621st Contingency Response Wing commander, speaks to members of the United Kingdom Royal Air Force Expeditionary Air Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey August 22, 2016. The CRW is trained to deploy at a moment’s notice anywhere around the world to open bare base airfields in austere environments. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Gustavo Gonzalez)

CRW, RAF exchange CR knowledge

U.S. Air Force Col. Charles Henderson, 621st Contingency Response Wing commander, speaks to members of the United Kingdom Royal Air Force Expeditionary Air Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey August 22, 2016. The CRW is trained to deploy at a moment’s notice anywhere around the world to open bare base airfields in austere environments. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Gustavo Gonzalez)
Photo Details / Download Hi-Res

U.S. Air Force Col. Charles Henderson, 621st Contingency Response Wing commander, speaks to members of the United Kingdom Royal Air Force Expeditionary Air Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey August 22, 2016. The CRW is trained to deploy at a moment’s notice anywhere around the world to open bare base airfields in austere environments. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Gustavo Gonzalez)