Airmen build backbone of Afghan airlift

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Oshawn Jefferson
  • U.S. AFCENT Combat Camera Team
KABUL, Afghanistan --  For a body to stand tall it needs a backbone. For Airmen in the 440th Intermediate Maintenance Squadron, advising Afghanistan National Army Air Corps maintenance soldiers, building the backbone of their future air force is critical to Afghanistan's future security.

"In the Air Force we know how important our maintenance Airmen are to air power," said Tech. Sgt. Curtis Dickens, 440th AEAS hydraulics-maintenance mentor deployed from Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. "We are passing on the skills that we have used for years."

In March 2009, the 440th IMS began mentoring less than 50 ANAAC maintenance soldiers with very little experience. American Airmen now mentors more than 160 ANAAC maintenance soldiers in 14 skill sets.

"We can see the growth in our soldiers and our IMS," said Lt. Col. Abdul Bagi, ANAAC IMS commander. "Without the knowledge shared by our Air Force mentors, what we have accomplished so far would be impossible."

"What they are teaching us will make the IMS very important to my country's air force," he said.

More than 40 Airmen mentor ANAAC maintenance soldiers in avionics, sheet-metal repair, aerospace ground equipment, aircraft engine and body inspections, armament, munitions loading and unloading, welding, munitions storage and managing a non-destructive inspection lab.

"The NDI lab is the capability I am most proud to have," Colonel Bagi said. "I am the only Afghan commander to have this skill in my unit."

The U.S. Air Force uses the NDI program to ensure the durability of components in aircraft or support equipment without destroying parts, and in some cases, without removing parts from aircraft.

"The NDI lab will be one of the Afghan's keys to flight safety and preserving the longevity of their aircraft," said Tech. Sgt. David Roach, 440th AEAS non-destructive metal advisor deployed from Beale Air Force Base, Calif. "This is a completely new skill set to the Afghans and they have fully embraced what this capability can do for them."

An idea shared by one of the lab's four ANAAC soldiers

"I feel proud to have a skill that will be very important to the Afghan air force," said Lieutenant Ghulam Nader, ANAAC IMS NDI lab commander. "We used to just fly an aircraft without a standard and we would lose aircraft quickly. Now we have a standard and a way to ensure the safety of our people and Afghan soldiers."

While U.S. Airmen and Afghan maintainers are most proud of their NDI lab, they have also made strides in creating GPS boxes for rotary aircraft, developing training plans, building an avionics room, learning to weld and accounting for equipment.

"It's amazing to see the progress of the ANAAC soldiers, we had to be very hands-on when I first arrived here and now we almost sit back and watch them," Maj. Cattles said. "They understand the importance of having a fully-functional maintenance capability and I am honored to be a part of their transition to independence."

Focused toward the future the ANAAC, IMS hope to have more than 340 soldiers in the squadron by the end of the year. As more aircraft are added to their inventory, aircraft maintenance will become more important to the longevity of the Afghan Air Corps' equipment.

"How I see us in the futures is ... we will be the backbone to Afghan air power," Colonel Bagi said smiling. "I am grateful to our Air Force mentors, they show they care about our future and together we will reach all of our goals."