1. Critical Enabler: Contracted Fixed Wing Airlift in Afghanistan
By Lt Col Scott A. Sveinsson, Capt Emily Barry,
Capt Patricia Castro, Lt Shari-Jean Hafner
Thousands of miles away from home and lacking the most basic amenities, mail
is one of the few things soldiers,sailors, marines,coast guardsmen and airmenlook
forward to. At home, few anticipate the arrival of a US Postal Service delivery the way
troops do while deployed. At home, mail usually meansbills, redundant coupons and
advertisements. In a deployed environment, mail meansa bottle of a favored brand of
shampoo, a box of homemade cookies, or a box crammed full of candy—mail is the
lifeline to home.
Getting a package to those in a deployed environment isn’t as simple as flying
or driving the parcel directly to the troops. Mail is sent to a distribution facility in the
US (Newark or JFK) and then sent to Bahrain, then onwards to Bagram or Kandahar
for further distribution.From there,Afghanistan’s terrain presents some unique
challengesto getting the mail to the bulk of American forces scattered across the
country. Few areas of operation consist of such a varied landscape —this country is
home to some of the world’s tallest mountains,treacherous box canyons, and large
expanse of desert.In addition to the obstacle of navigating such difficult terrain,
logisticiansare forced to find a supply chain route where little to no infrastructure
exists—the network of highways, bridges,and railroads that so many Westerners take
for granted is practically nonexistent in this country. Convoys are time-consuming and
dangerous, so airlift is a highly utilized mode of transportation throughout the AOR.
Military airlift is obviously prioritized to handle the movement of medical supplies,
ammunition, food and equipment, and troops. Mail is relegated practically to the
bottom of the priority list and therefore, the bulk of it (daily volumes of which range
from 50,000 lbs to 150,000 lbs each at Bagram and Kandahar) is moved via
commercial carrierslike DHL.
Because of the harsh terrain and limited accessibility to certain regions,
airfields and runways are another limiting factor in the transportation process. There
are only a few major hubs capable of handling the large influx of cargo, not to mention
the size of C17s, C130s, 747’s and other comparable aircraft. In addition to the

2. scarceness of these hubs, they are also not often within a convoy-able proximity to the
outlying Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) or Combat Outposts (COPs). A few FOBs
are home to airfields that are too short or too austere to support large airframes. (The
term “airfield”is a gross exaggeration of the facilitiesat many of these locations—
airfields are often unsecured, 1000-foot strips of grass, dirt, or gravel.) In this
situation, logisticians are forced to rely on short takeoff and landing aircraft, more
commonly known as STOLs. Presidential Airways is one company that operates a
small fleet of STOLs under a TRANSCOM contract to move mail. Presidential’s 14-
plane fleet is a motley assortment of passenger and cargo aircraft consisting of 5
DHC-8’s, 2 SA-227’s, 2 CASA 235’s, and 5 CASA 212’s. These small propeller-driven
planes, whose pilots are limited to visual flight rulesonly, have a max cargo payload of
2,000-3,500 lbs depending on heat. As unimpressive as those stats may seem,
Presidential’sSTOLs are responsible for clearing 20-30% of Bagram’s mail backlog—
everyday.
The key to Presidential Airways’ successin this theater liesupon their
flexibility. These aircraft can land virtually anywhere in the AOR and missions are
often fragged and re-fragged withina few hours of takeoff. STOL airlift prioritiesare
very different from those of military airlift. Critical Aircraft parts or MICAP (mission
capable) are first priority within this theater for STOL aircraft, however ammunition
and blood take priority as well, but STOLs are rarely utilized to move these due to size
restrictions. Mail is the second priority, followed by cargo, and then passengers.Mail-
only missions, conducted by the CASA 212s, are scheduled no more than 1-2 days in
advance to ensure the most accurate routings are created to clear backlogs. All other
aircraft, whichcan accommodate passengers as well, are scheduled 5-10 days in
advance based on historical mail backlogs. These missions carry an average of 7
passengers from Bagram to the mail locations, and 15 back to Bagram on the
retrograde leg.Because of this (and the fact the aircraft have very comfortable seats),
STOLs are a much sought after meansof travel throughout Afghanistan.

3. The Fixed Wing Air Cell is
responsible for scheduling and
coordinating all of the STOL flying
missions. Surprisingly, there isn’t a
single contractor, pilot or scheduler
in the group of seven individualswho
manage the operation and contract.
The cell has four Logistics Readiness
Officers (21R), two Air
Transporters (2T2), and a Logistics Plans NCO (2G0).
Duties range from building the flight schedulesto coordinating parking with down-line
airfields, and even monitoring the flights real-time to ensure accurate command and
control. Everyone plays a role in booking passengers for flights, occasionallyhaving to
troubleshooting real-world issuessuch as emergency leaves or VIP movements.Mail is
always the first priority, so everyone is actively engaged in finding the way to move the
most mail during a flying day. During the execution,
Fixed Wing interactsconstantly with Port Squadron personnel who load and manifest
all the cargo, mail, and passengers. Constant communication enables the Fixed Wing
to make last minute changesto the schedule in order to better clear mail-backlogs as
they appear, or to increase aircraft efficienciesby maximizing cargo and passenger
loads.
The coordinated effortsof the civilians at
Presidential Airways, the 455 Expeditionary Aerial
Port personnel at the passenger terminal and on
the flight line, and the Army and Navy mail
movement personnel responsible for the overall
mail movement guarantees the success of this
operation. The systemallows 50,000-100,000 lbs
to be moved on a daily basis,
455th EAPS members load a STOL with bags
Bagram Air Field STOL TEAM – Front row: Lt Hafner, Capt Barry,
Capt Castro. BackRow:LTCSveinsson, Capt Rosales, TSgt McHugo,
TSgt Jorgensen, SSgt Blodgett

4. utilizing military and civilian contracted ground and airlift modes to include multiple
rotary platforms. While the system requires an in depth understanding of the
transportation systemand the resourcefulness to find the most efficient means of
shipping, the end result is simple—American forces get to hold a piece of home in their
hands regardless of how long or complicated their parcel’s journey was.
Another vital mission is the low cost
low altitude mission or LCLA aerial
deliveries. These drops support several
Task Forces’ throughout the AOR. Utilizing
over 50 drop zones, LCLA airdrops average
between 200-400 bundles weighing 150K-
300K pounds per month delivering critical
food, water, and ammunition resupply to
US and Coalition forces at austere
locations that are unable to support
regular ground, rotary, or military air drops.
The unchallenged accuracy by any other airdropplatform is what makes these
drops so critical throughout the AOR. The LCLA program is especially effective in the
RC-East region due to its challenging steepterrain. It offers the agile combat support
to our frontline maneuver troops.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Lt Col Scott A. Sveinsson is currentlydeployed to Bagram Air Field Afghanistan as Chief, Fixed Wing Cell. He is an
Air Force Logistics Readiness Officer and has served in a variety of logistics assignments to include combat
deployments in supportofOperation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He is stationed atScott AFB.
Capt EmilyBarry served as scheduling officer for the Fixed Wing Cell during OEF X. She is an Air Force Logistics
Readiness Officer and is currently stationed at Davis-Monthan,AZ. She has deployed in the past ISO of Operation
Enduring Freedom.
Capt Patricia Castro is currently deployed to Bagram Air Field and serves as scheduling officer for the Fixed Wing
Cell.She is an Air Force Logistics Readiness Officer.She is stationed at Ramstein AB, Germany. She has deployed
in the pastin supportof both OIF and OEF.
Lt. Shari-Jean Hafner served as scheduling officer for the Fixed Wing Cell during OEF X. She is an Air Force
Logistics Readiness Officer and is currently stationed atWhiteman AFB, MO.
A Casa-212 makes an LCLA drop in Afghanistan