Airmen will assist a U.S. Africa Command-led operation to airlift equipment into the Darfur region of Sudan in support of United Nations and African Union peacekeeping missions, according to AMC officials.

The operation was announced January 5, 2009 by President George W. Bush during a media availability with First Vice President to the Government of National Unity of Sudan, Salva Kiir. During the session President Bush detailed U.S. support to include movement of 240 containers worth of equipment by the Department of State, and airlift of equipment from Rwanda by the Department of Defense.

Air Mobility Command (AMC) aircraft, supporting missions designated by U.S. Africa Command, will fulfill the Department of Defense portions of the operation by moving the Rwandan equipment into Darfur. The equipment is scheduled to be transported by U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III cargo planes, with command and control coordination provided by AMC's 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center at Scott Air Force Base.

"U.S. Africa Command identified the need for airlift to U.S. Transportation Command, who gave the 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center (TACC) the tasking as the military's point of contact for global airlift," said Major General Mark S. Solo, 618th TACC commander. "618th TACC personnel planned the missions, allocated aircraft and crews to fly the missions, and we will stay in close contact with the crews to execute the missions through completion."

The 618th TACC coordinates an average of 900 airlift and air refueling missions each day, and can seamlessly redirect these missions to support emerging requirements for contingency or humanitarian relief operations.

According to Solo, as soon as U.S. Transportation Command identifies a situation as requiring U.S. military airlift, the 618th TACC begins posturing mobility forces to be able to respond to various scenarios. He said this "posturing" may include placing aircraft and crews in alert status, meaning crews are on standby and ready to launch in three hours or less from notification.

In addition to supporting U.S. warfighters in Iraq and Afghanistan, AMC's global mission includes airlift in response to global events, such as the case with moving the equipment for peacekeeping operations into Darfur.

In 2008, the 618th TACC coordinated humanitarian airlift relief along with U.S. Air Forces in Europe, as the Air Force delivered 587 tons in needed supplies, including food, cots, blankets, generators, and medical supplies, to people displaced by conflict in the Republic of Georgia.

During Hurricanes Ike and Gustav, the 618th TACC coordinated hundreds of aircraft sorties resulting in movement of more than 9,045 evacuees, nearly 600 medical patients, and 1,379 tons of equipment to support relief efforts in the Gulf Coast region.

"Airlift operations are a key element for the 618th TACC and AMC," said Solo. "We operate 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week to move people and equipment on a global scale. AMC forces, beginning with the 618th TACC, make delivering necessary, timely support a reality anywhere in the world."