Sioux City -- As a part of Operation Allied Welcome, approximately 40 Sioux City Airmen were given orders to help provide aid and security for the refugees at Joint Base Mc-Guire-Dix-Lakehurst near Philadelphia. Unit members are currently deployed for the operation with more on the way this February.
Major Jennifer. Carlson, the Deputy Mission Support Group Commander with the 185th ARW is assigned to Task Force Liberty, the task force assigned to JBMGDL under OAW.
“It is short notice for us, however we were able to fill all the requirements on a short notice, and I think that’s the Iowa National Guard way, which is always ready,” said Carlson.
According to an article provided by Task Force Liberty, the camp is equipped to support 10,000 Afghans and was recently visited by Air Force senior leaders.
In addition to supporting OWA, Senior Master Sgt. Mark Dawson, a Logistics Planner with the 185th ARW, said that the unit is also actively engaged in the Reserve Component Period. According to Dawson, the RCP is the Air Force’s deployment rotation where Air National Guard units get tasked to help augment Active Duty Air Force units every four years.
Dawson said approximately 120 Sioux City Airmen have been activated to fill the regularly scheduled deployment rotation. He also mentioned that the majority of members will be tasked with supporting southwest Asia operations.
The 185th is providing a wide range of Airmen to include, Medical, Services, Personnel, Civil Engineering and Security Forces for the deployments. The average length of deployment for Airmen being sent to southwest Asia is approximately 6 months while Airmen being tasked with OAW will be deployed up to 90 days.
In addition, Carlson said approximately 120 Airmen from the maintenance and operation squadrons, to include pilots and boom operators, are scheduled to deploy spring 2022 as a part of the Air Force’s Air Expeditionary Forces.