Ramstein Air Base: Difference between revisions
added aerial image of base |
→Overview: edited and updated |
||
| Line 34: | Line 34: | ||
== Overview == |
== Overview == |
||
The host unit is the '''[[86th Airlift Wing]] (86 AW)''', whose commander also serves as the [[Kaiserslautern Military Community]] (KMC) commander. |
|||
| ⚫ | The 86th Airlift Wing is composed of four groups, 16 squadrons and three bases in Germany, Spain and Belgium. Its mission is the operation and maintenance of airlift assets consisting of [[C-130E]]s, [[C-20 Gulfstream III|C-20]]s, [[C-21 Learjet|C-21]]s, [[C-40 Clipper|C-40B]], and C-37A Gulfstream aircraft throughout [[Europe]], [[Africa]], and the [[Middle East]]. |
||
The host unit at Ramstein Air Base is the [[United States Air Force]] [[435th Air Base Wing]], which supports the USAF '''[[86th Airlift Wing]]''' as well as other units at the base and surrounding region. |
|||
The commander of the 86 AW is [http://www.ramstein.af.mil/library/biographies/bio.asp?id=10637 Colonel William J. Bender] |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
Also residing at Ramstein is the '''[[435th Air Base Wing]] (435 ABW)''', which focuses on base-support responsibilities within the KMC. It is comprised of five groups and 20 squadrons. The wing provides rapid mobility and agile combat support for military operations, and maintains expeditionary forces and infrastructure. |
|||
The commander of the 435th ABW is [http://www.ramstein.af.mil/library/biographies/bio.asp?id=8624 Colonel Earl D. Matthews] |
|||
Ramstein's wings are assigned to the newly created [[HQ Air Command Europe]] also Headquartered at Ramstein AB. |
Ramstein's wings are assigned to the newly created [[HQ Air Command Europe]] also Headquartered at Ramstein AB. |
||
The base is the largest component of the |
The base is the largest component of the Kaiserslautern Military Community, where more than 16,400 American service members and more than 5,400 US civilian employees live and work. US organizations in the KMC also employ the services of more than 6,200 German workers. Air Force units in the KMC alone employ almost 9,800 military members, bringing with them nearly 11,100 family members. |
||
==History== |
==History== |
||
Revision as of 20:40, 12 March 2008
Ramstein Air Base
 | |
|---|---|
Ramstein Air Base
 | |
| Type | Air Force Base |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | United States Air Force |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1951 |
| Built by | France |
| In use | June 1, 1953–present |
| Garrison information | |
| Past commanders | General Roger A. Brady [1] |
| Garrison | Third Air Force |
Ramstein Air Base is a United States Air Force base in the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz.
Ramstein AB part of the Kaiserslautern Military Community. It serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) and is also a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) installation. Ramstein is located near the town of Ramstein, in the rural district of Kaiserslautern, Germany
Besides Americans, the installation's population is comprised of Canadian, German, British, French, Belgian, Polish, Czech, Norwegian, Danish and Dutch forces.
The east gate of Ramstein Air Base is about 10 miles (16 km), from Kaiserslautern (locally referred to by Americans as "K-Town"). Other nearby civilian communities include Ramstein-Miesenbach, just outside the base's west gate, and Landstuhl, about 3 miles (4.8 km)from the west gate.
Overview
The host unit is the 86th Airlift Wing (86 AW), whose commander also serves as the Kaiserslautern Military Community (KMC) commander.
The 86th Airlift Wing is composed of four groups, 16 squadrons and three bases in Germany, Spain and Belgium. Its mission is the operation and maintenance of airlift assets consisting of C-130Es, C-20s, C-21s, C-40B, and C-37A Gulfstream aircraft throughout Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
The commander of the 86 AW is Colonel William J. Bender
Also residing at Ramstein is the 435th Air Base Wing (435 ABW), which focuses on base-support responsibilities within the KMC. It is comprised of five groups and 20 squadrons. The wing provides rapid mobility and agile combat support for military operations, and maintains expeditionary forces and infrastructure.
The commander of the 435th ABW is Colonel Earl D. Matthews
Ramstein's wings are assigned to the newly created HQ Air Command Europe also Headquartered at Ramstein AB.
The base is the largest component of the Kaiserslautern Military Community, where more than 16,400 American service members and more than 5,400 US civilian employees live and work. US organizations in the KMC also employ the services of more than 6,200 German workers. Air Force units in the KMC alone employ almost 9,800 military members, bringing with them nearly 11,100 family members.
History
Ramstein Air Base is a great example of international collaboration: designed by French engineers, constructed by Germans and operated by Americans. Construction of the 3,000-acre (12 km2) base began in April 1951 under the provisions of a Franco-American reciprocal agreement, as the surrounding area was under French postwar occupational control at the time.
The building of a major airfield came as no surprise to the local inhabitants who were no strangers to airpower. In 1940, construction of autobahn A-6 was stopped when a bridge that was being built across the Rhine near Mannheim collapsed killing many workers. So a part of the unused autobahn near Kaiserslautern was used as an airstrip by the Luftwaffe. The old autobahn section is still used as the access road to the east and west gates of the base and the A-6 was re-built south of the air base after World War II. The airstrip was also used by the advancing U.S. Army Air Forces during the final months of the conflict.
Enough construction was completed by 1952 that Landstuhl Air Base was opened on 5 August 1952. On 1 June 1953 Ramstein Air Base was opened. Landstuhl Air Base was built as an operational Air Base with the runway, control tower, ramps and other flight-related facilities and the associated flying and support units. Ramstein Air Base, on the north of Kisling Memorial Avenue was the location of Headquarters, Twelfth Air Force, and supported family housing, base exchange, commissary, dependents' schools and other administrative offices.
On 1 February 1952, Det 1, 86th Fighter-Bomber Wing arrived at Landstuhl Air Base from Neubiberg Air Base. On 27 April 1953, Headquarters, Twelfth Air Force was activated on Ramstein Air Base. The 86th Air Base Group was activated as the main base support unit for Landstuhl, while the 7030th HQ Support Group was the main base support unit for Ramstein.
On 1 December 1957, the two bases were consolidated into the largest NATO-controlled air base in service on the continent. It was called Ramstein-Landstuhl Air Base, but later, through common usage, came by its present name, Ramstein Air Base in 1958.
One legacy of the two separate air bases was that the north side of Ramstein retained a separate APO from the south side. The north side (Ramstein AB) was APO New York 09012, while the south side (Landstuhl AB) was APO New York 09009. Also separate Combat Support Groups, the 7030th for the north side, and the 86th for the south side existed. These were consolidated in the 1980s when APO AE 09094 was established as a unified postal address, and the two Combat Support units were merged into the 377th Combat Support Wing.
About 10 minutes from the Ramstein Air Base is the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC), operated by the United States Army. Although part of the Kaiserslautern Military Community, LRMC has a separate history and was never a part of Ramstein or Landstuhl Air Bases, although both facilities have utilized the medical facilities at LRMC since they were established in 1953.
NATO Command Center
From its inception, Ramstein was designed as a command base. In 1957, Ramstein provided support for NATO's HQ Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force, which moved to Ramstein from Trier AB on 10 November 1957. Also on that date, HQ Twelfth Air Force was transferred to Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas and was assigned to Tactical Air Command. It was replaced by an advanced echelon of HQ USAFE. HQ Seventeenth Air Force, in turn, replaced HQ USAFE at Ramstein on 15 November 1959.
On 31 January 1973, several headquarters were relocated into and out of Ramstein, when Seventeenth AF moved to Sembach Air Base to make room for the expected move of HQ USAFE to Ramstein. This entire operation, code-named Creek Action, was carried out as part of the USAF's new world-wide policy of locating the most vital headquarters in thinly populated rural areas rather than near cities.
As a result of this policy change, Ramstein air base became a large multi-national NATO center: in addition to the USAFE's headquarters, it also housed the new NATO headquarters of the Allied Air Forces Central Europe (AAFCE).
The AAFCE also commanded the 2nd Allied Tactical Air Force (2ATAF) and the 4th ATAF. The 4th ATAF, which had been headquartered at Ramstein for many years, included the 1st Canadian Air Group, 1st and 2nd Divisions of Germany's Luftwaffe, and units of the USAFE's 3rd and 17th Air Force.
HQ USAFE completed its move from Wiesbaden to Ramstein on 14 March.
With USAFE's arrival, Ramstein entered an unprecedented period of expansion. The commander of the 86 TFW became host commander of Americans living in the Kaiserslautern Military Community.
Allied Air Forces Central Europe was established at Ramstein on 28 June 1974. Ramstein subsequently provided support for other headquarters, including the 322nd Airlift Division which arrived on 23 June 1978, and SAC's 7th Air Division, which arrived on 1 July 1978.
In December 1980, HQ Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force was moved from Ramstein to Heidelberg and co-located with HQ Central Army Group.
Today, the base is home to Allied Air Component Command Headquarters Ramstein, which is responsible to Joint Force Command Brunssum. Ramstein is under the command of the commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe.
Operational units assigned to Ramstein
Beginning in 1953 Ramstein/Landstuhl Air Base was part of USAFE's Third Air Force, with headquarters at RAF Mildenhall, the United Kingdom.
86th Fighter-Bomber/Fighter-Interceptor Wing
In January 1953, Landstuhl AB became the home of the 86th Fighter-Bomber Wing, being transferred from Neubiberg Air Base near Munich. Operational squadrons were:
- 526th Fighter-Bomber (red stripe/cowlings)
- 527th Fighter-Bomber (yellow stripe/cowlings)
Note: Both squadrons had elaborate red-and-white checkerboard patterns covering all tail surfaces, with checkerboard patterns on the outer halves of the tip tanks and intakes.
Both of these squadrons were equipped with the Republic F-84 "Thunderstreak". In the fall of 1952, the USAFE Skyblazer acrobatic team was assigned to the 86th FBW. The last demonstration flight was made in July 1953.
In August 1953, the 86th FBW was re-equipped with the North American F-86F Saber. The 527th FIS became a Fighter-Day squadron in October 1954, and was inactivated on 8 February 1956. Personnel and aircraft were assigned to the newly-formed 461st FDS at Hahn Air Base in May.
In August 1954 the mission of the 86th was changed to the 86th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, and the F-86D began to replace the F-86F, which was sent to NATO countries. Two new F-86D squadrons, the 440th FIS from Geiger AFB, Washington and the 496th FIS from Hamilton AFB California arrived at Landstuhl in July 1954. These squadrons were detached to the following bases to stand air defense alert:
- 440th FIS to Erding Air Base, Germany
- 496th FIS to Hahn Air Base, Germany
- 526th FIS remained at Landstuhl (Red tail stripes)
In May 1958 the 406th FIW at RAF Manston England was deactivated. Its three F-86D squadrons, the 512th, 513th and 514th moved to bases on the continent and were also assigned to the 86th. These squadrons were detached to the following bases:
- 512th FIS to Sembach Air Base, Germany
- 513th FIS to Phalsbourg-Bourscheid Air Base France
- 514th FIS to Ramstein (Blue tail stripes)
86th Air Division (Defense)
In January 1959 the 525th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Bitburg received its first Convair F-102 Delta Dagger, designed to upgrade the air defense capabilities of Western Europe. HQ USAFE decided to uprade the 86th Fighter-Interceptor Wing and centralize command of all the European Air Defense squadrons in USAFE to it. With this change, the 86th Fighter-Interceptor Wing was redesignated the 86th Air Division (Defense) on 18 November 1960.
At Ramstein, the 526th FIS was equipped with F-102s in 1960, while the 440th, 512th, 513th and 514th FISs began to retire their F-86's during November and December. The squadrons were deactivated on 8 January 1961.
F-102 Squadrons assigned to the 86th AD at detached sites were:
- 32nd Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Soesterberg AB, Netherlands
- 431st Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Zaragosa AB, Spain
- 496th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Hahn AB, West Germany
- 497th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Torrejon AB, Spain
- 525th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Bitburg AB, West Germany
- 526th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Ramstein AB, West Germany
However at the time of their arrival in Europe, the F-102 was already being replaced by the McDonnell F-101B Voodoo and the Convair F-106 Delta Dart in the Aerospace Defense Command as an interceptor, and by much more verstile McDonnell F-4 Phantom II. In USAFE, the 497th FIS transitioned to F-4Cs in 1963 and redesignated 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron and transferred to George AFB, California.
By 1969/1970 the F-102s were phased out of the interceptor role in Europe, and replaced by the F-4C/E. As they left USAFE service, most F-102s were transferred to the Air National Guard where they served into the 1980s.
1961 Berlin Crisis
During the Berlin Crisis of 1961/62, the strength of the 86th AD was augmented by two Air National Guard F-104A squadrons:
- 134th Fighter Group: 1 November 1961 - 15 August 1962 Tennessee Air National Guard
26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing
On 7 March 1966, French President Charles De Gaulle announced that France would withdraw from NATO's integrated military structure. The United States was informed that it must remove its military forces from France by 1 April 1967.
As a result, the 26 Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, based at Toul-Rosieres Air Base, France and two of its squadrons, the 38th and 32d, equipped with RF-4Cs was relocated to Ramstein on 5 October 1966. The 26th TRW's 22d TRS was reassigned to Mountain Home AFB, Idaho where it became a dual-based squadron, deploying frequently to Ramstein. The 32d TFS was transferred, without personnel or equpment to RAF Alconbury England and its RB-66 aircraft were sent to Takhli Royal Thai Air Base in Thailand.
Assigned squadrons of the 26th TRW at Ramstein were:
- 38th Tactical Reconnaissance (RF-4C, Tail Code: RR)
- 526th Fighter Interceptor/Tactical Fighter (F-102/F-4E (1970) Tail Code: RS)
- 7th Special Operation (C-130, C-47, UH-1)
While at Ramstein the 26th TRW acquired a number of other units with different flying missions. One function gained by the 26 TRW, almost immediately after arriving at Ramstein, was the maintenance and flying of the HQ USAFE liaison aircraft. In addition, the Wing was responsible for flying members of the HQ USAFE staff to Air Force and NATO bases throughout Europe.
In addition, the 26th TRW was only designated a flight, because of its small size. It consisted of a mixture of aircraft, including: T-29s, T-33s, T-39s, C-54s, O-2s, H-19s, and UH-1s.
The 38th TRS was stationed at Ramstein for almost four years (late 1962 to 1966) as part of the 66th TRW, headquartered in France, prior to being moved to the 26th TRW. During this time they flew the RF-101C - a single seat reconnaissance plane. While normally unarmed, it did have nuclear capabilities. The 38th started converting to the RF-4s in the 2nd quarter of 1966.
The 66th TRW moved to England in October 1966, when NATO pulled out of France. The 38th TRS stayed in Ramstein but moved under the 26th TRW, where it remained until in left Ramstein and moved to Zweibrucken.
The 526th Fighter Interceptor Squadron (FIS), flying F-102 aircraft, was assigned to the wing in November 1968, thus adding an air defense role to the mission of the wing.
The 86th TFW was activated at Zweibrucken Air Base on 1 November 1969 after the Canadian Air Force turned the facility over to NATO, and USAFE acquired it. With the phaseout of the F-102 from Europe, the 86th Air Division was deactivated on 1 April 1970. With the deactivation of the 86th AD, the 26th TRW became the host unit at Ramstein. The 526 FIS was redesignated the 526th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) and begun converting to the F-4E fighter aircraft.
In the spring of 1972, the 7th Special Operations Squadron (SOS) was assigned flying C-130Es, C-47As, and UH-1Ns. Because of the special operations mission of the 7 SOS, it reported directly to HQ USAFE for operational control
In 1971 a detachment of the 435th Air Base Wing from Rhein-Main Air Base was assigned to Ramstein and a large cargo aerial port constructed. This allowed Military Airlift Command C-141 and C-5 Galaxy aircraft to use Ramstein as a transshipment point for material, which was then moved within USAFE by C-130 tactical transports.
86th Tactical Fighter Wing
.jpg)
As part of operation Creek Action, a command-wide effort to realign functions and streamline operations, USAFE transferred the 26 TRW from Ramstein to Zweibrucken Air Base, Germany, and the 86th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) from Zweibrucken back to Ramstein on 31 January 1973.
These moves were made without the transfer of personnel or equipment with the exception of the 38 TRS, 7 SOS and 81 TFS. The 38th remained under the control of the 26 TRW by moving to Zweibrucken with the wing and the 7th Special Operations Squadron was transferred to Rhein-Main Air Base. The 526th TFS remained at Ramstein AB, and it was reassigned to the 86th Tactical Fighter Wing, flying F-4Es. Its tail code was "RS".
On 14 August 1976, the Strategic Air Command 306th Strategic Wing was activated at Ramstein with a KC-135 air refueling and an RC-135 reconnaissance mission. The 306th also functioned as the focal point for all SAC operations in Europe, and as liaison between SAC and USAFE. The wing moved to RAF Mildenhall, England on 1 July 1978.
On 22 September 1977 the newly-activated 512th TFS was equipped with the 526 TFS aircraft and the 526 TFS received new planes from McDonnell Douglas St. Louis plant. The unit was designated the 86th Tactical Fighter Group and was under the 86th Tactical Fighter Wing.
With these changes, the operational squadrons of the 86th TFW in 1978 was:
- 512th Tactical Fighter Squadron (F-4E, RS, green/black tail stripe)
- 526th Tactical Fighter Squadron (F-4E, RS, red/black tail stripe)
On 14 June 1985 the unit was reestablished and attached to the 86th OG. In September 1985 the 512th TFS converted to the General Dynamics Block 25 F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the 526th retired their F-4Es in June 1986, also receiving Block 25 F-16s. The 86th TFW supported numerous military units located in the area and participated in numerous exercises that provided the wing with air combat tactics training essential to their mission.
Also in June 1985, the 316th Air Division was activated, centralizing command authority at Ramstein. The 86 TFW became the division's flight operations arm, while the newly formed 377th Combat Support Wing, also activated in 1985, became responsible for the logistical and administrative support on base, replacing the 86th and 7030 Combat Support Wings.
On August 28, 1988, Ramstein Air Base was the site of the tragic Ramstein airshow disaster, which killed 72 spectators and three pilots, and injured hundreds. The German metal band Rammstein is, in fact, named after the accident.
With the end of Operation Desert Storm, the 86th TFW deployed to Turkey and supported operations in Southwest Asia to ensure that Iraq complied with treaty terms. 526th TFS aircraft twice attacked Iraqi surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites in northern Iraq.
On 1 May 1991 the 512th and 526th Tactical Fighter Squadrons were assigned to the new 86th Operations Group. On 1 June 1992, the 316th Air Division was deactivated and the 86th Tactical Fighter Wing merged with the 377 Combat Support Wing to form the 86th Wing.
By 1994, the tactical fighters of the 86th FW began to be transferred to other USAFE bases. On 1 July, the 526th FS deactivated and its aircraft and personnel moved to Aviano Air Base, Italy to form the 555th FS. The 512th FS was deactivated on 1 October, with its aircraft and personnel also being moved to Aviano, being assigned to the 510th FS.
On 1 July 1993 the 55th Aeromedical Airlift Squadron moved from the 435th AW at Rhein-Main Air Base Germany to Ramstein. On 1 October, the 75th and 76th Airlift Squadron arrived at Ramstein from the 60th AW at Travis Air Force Base California, and 437th AW at Charleston AFB South Carolina, respectively. A year later on 1 October 1994, the 37th Airlift Squadron was transferred to Ramstein from Rhein-Main.
In 2003, the 435th Air Base Wing assumed the overall host base unit at Ramstein, with the 86th Airlift Wing its operational arm.
On May 24, 2004, the 38th Combat Support Wing was activated to enhance support to USAFE geographically separated units. This wing was inactivated in 2007.
86th Airlift Wing
With the arrival of the cargo and transport squadrons and the tactical fighters departed, the wing was re-designated the 86th Airlift Wing on 1 October 1994, with the following flying squadrons:
- 37th Airlift Squadron (C-130E, they will be replaced in 2009 by the C-130J)
- 76th Airlift Squadron (C-20H, C-21A, C-40B)
- 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron
In October 2000 The 75th AS provided airlift in support of evacuation operations of U.S. Navy sailors injured as a result of the terrorist bombing of the USS Cole. The mission to Yemen and Djibouti brought 28 sailors to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany.
In 2006, the 86th AW acquired a sole C-40B previously operated by the 89AW at Andrews AFB to replace the C-9A Nightingale which was retired in 2005. The C9, 71-0876, was used to ferry the USAFE Commander to other areas in the European theater, and was not set up for medivac purposes. It was the last C-9A with USAF. The aircraft left Ramstein on Sep 20 2005 and is now on display at Andrews AFB Museum, MD. The C-40B, 01-0040, (the USAF version of the Boeing 737-700 BBJ) is configured as an airborne command post.
86th Contingency Response Group
The 86th Contingency Response Group [86 CRG] is tasked with establishing airfield and aerial port operations and providing force protection at contingency airfields. The unit was activated at Hangar 3 at Ramstein Air Base on 26 February 1999, and is the first unit of its kind in the Air Force. The two subordinate units also stood up on that date:
- 86th Air Mobility Squadron
The 86th AMS provides airfield command and control, loads and unloads aircraft and essentially sets up an aerial port where none existed.
- 786th Security Forces Squadron
The 786th SFS provides force protection in the opening stages of a deployment and also provides protection for any follow-on forces.
The 786th Security Forces Squadron [786th SFS] is capable of overland airlift, air assault, or airborne insertion into crisis situations. The unit incorporates more than 10 different specialities including people with civil engineering, medical, intelligence, investigative, fuels, logistics, personnel and security skills.
The 86th CRG incorporates more than 30 different jobs into one close-knit team. It is a rapid-deployment unit designed at the initiative of Air Force leadership to be a "first-in" force to secure an airfield and establish and maintain airfield operations. The 86th CRG was created specifically to respond to the growing number of fast-moving contingency deployments today’s Air Force experienced in Europe.
The group initially consisted of 134 individuals, which made it one of the smallest groups in the Air Force. Although typically tailored for a specific mission, the CRG is postured to deploy all or part of a 120-person team of more than 30 specialties with no more than 12 hours notice. The unit is on the ground during the crucial opening days of a contingency.
The 86th CRG is designed to be a multidisciplinary, cross-functional team whose mission is to provide the first on-scene Air Force forces trained to command, assess, and prepare a base for expeditionary aerospace forces. The cross-functional design under a single commander provides a unity of effort while also minimizing redundant taskings or personnel. This in turn allows the unit to be trained to task and ready to deploy rapidly--all with minimal equipment and personnel.
Tier One personnel are not assigned to the CRG but are "by-name" assigned as CRG augmentees. These Tier One personnel work closely with the CRG on a daily basis, exercise with the group, and are trained in CRG-specific operations and force-protection concepts. Specialties in which Tier One individuals work include weather, air traffic control, services, communications, civil engineering, finance, law, combat camera, fire protection, protocol, combat control, psychological operations, civil-military affairs, personnel accounting, ground and flight safety, explosive-ordnance disposal, biological/chemical warfare, fuel, mortuary affairs, and chaplain concerns.
To complement these Tier One personnel, the CRG has access to Tier Two personnel. As within Tier One, Tier Two personnel come from units that work regularly with the CRG; however, they are not specifically identified as CRG augmentees, nor are they identified "by-name." The final category consists of personnel within existing UTCs that provide the specialized capabilities available through normal training channels.
The three-tier process generates functional experts in various readiness levels who can support a mission philosophy of speed and precision. The 86th CRG was designed to get in within hours of its tasking, take control of airfield operations, establish security and communication, and quickly assess what additional capability would be required.
The 86th CRG deployed to Tirana, Albania on 4 April 1999, as the lead element of the US Humanitarian Relief Force Shining/Sustain Hope to distribute rations and water. Operation Shining/Sustain Hope was the U.S. humanitarian effort to bring in food, water, medicine and relief supplies for the refugees fleeing from the Former Republic of Yugoslavia into Albania and Macedonia.
US assistance began April 5, when an initial team of 40 airmen from the 86th Contingency Response Group left for Tirana. The team was sent in to establish a base camp near a Tirana airfield and prepare it for the rest of the relief force, which would flow in afterward. The 786th Security Forces Squadron security team joined colleagues from the 786th SFS and 86th Air Mobility Squadron members who were already in Albania as part of an 86th Contingency Response Group deployment to Tirana, Albania, supporting humanitarian operations to relieve Kosovar Albanian refugees in Albania.
Besides the CRG, Ramstein also sent representatives from the 86th Civil Engineer Squadron, 86th Medical Group, 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs, 86th Transportation Squadron, 86th Material Maintenance Squadron, 86th Security Forces Squadron, 86th Services Squadron, 86th Financial Management and the 786th Civil Engineer Squadron.
On the surface, the 86th Contingency Response Group appeared heavy and cumbersome with 36 team members and a bulky cargo of giant forklifts and flightline vehicles they brought to Beira, Mozambique here from their home station more than 5,000 miles (8,000 km) away at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. By Air Force standards, however, the 86th CRG is lean, light and efficient. Within a few hours of touching down on the runway, the unit was handling airflow in support of Joint Task Force Atlas Response.
The CRG, which belongs to the 86th Airlift Wing, handled every aspect of airflow into Beira, including parking the aircraft, loading and unloading cargo and passengers, and providing necessary aircraft maintenance. As of 24 March 2000, the CRG had handled 426 passengers and 514 tons of equipment and humanitarian relief supplies to aid the flood victims of Mozambique. The Department of Defense sent six search and rescue helicopters to the region, with three arriving early the second week of March. They were supported by 400 to 600 troops from the European Command's 86th Contingency Response Group, based in Germany and England.
Exercise Lariat Response, conducted June 8-12, 2001 in Hungary, required Southern European Task Force [SETAF] to deploy the 173d Airborne Brigade to conduct an airborne assault to seize an airfield, conduct rapid running airfield repair and then, with the support of the US Air Force’s 86th Contingency Response Group, immediately air load heavy infantry combat forces from V Corps and the 1st Infantry Division to conduct high intensity combat operations against an armored threat.
ADOC Kindsbach
Close to Ramstein was the site of Air Defense Operations Center - Kindsbach, AKA 'Kindsbach Cave' - the site of Europe’s underground Combat Operations Center.
The facility was located in a former German Western Front Command Headquarters. The French took control of the underground bunker after World War II, and USAFE assumed control in 1953. After major renovations, USAFE opened the Kindsbach Combat Operations Center 15 August 1954.
The center was a state-of-the-art 67-room, 37,000-square-foot (3,400 m2) facility where USAFE could have led an air war against the Soviet Union. The center had a digital “computer” to work out bombing problems, cryptographic equipment for coded message traffic and its own photo lab to develop reconnaissance photos. Responsible for an air space extending deep behind the Iron Curtain, the center interacted directly with The Pentagon, NATO, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe and all USAFE bases. With its massive telephone switchboard and 80 teletype machines, the cave was plugged into everything in the outside world. The center was receiving more than 1,000 calls a day.
As a further measure of protection, the cave was fully self-contained with its own water supply, electric backup-generators, climate controls, dining facilities and sleeping accommodations for its 125-man crew. Visitor passes were rarely issued to this secret facility.
Throughout the years, leadership changed but USAFE led the operations through numbered Air Forces. The center’s commander was the USAFE Advanced Echelon. His glassed-in office was on the top floor of the three-story underground command center. Directly under his office was the management for offensive air operations. And the bottom floor office was the management for defensive air operations – to include support for U.S. Army forces and German Civil Defense. All three offices had a full view of the massive Air Operations Center map on the opposing wall.
The AOC was the largest room in the complex. Its three-story map was used to plot minute-by-minute movements of friendly and unidentified aircraft. But the center was much more than just a tracking station, because it could also react to threats. They always knew the current operational status of air weapons in theater including missiles, and could dispatch armed response “at a moment's notice.”
By the early 1960s, the manual plotting system used to track aircraft at the cave and elsewhere throughout Germany was too slow and inaccurate for the quick responses necessary. Beginning in 1962, airmen trained in the new 412L air weapons control system began to arrive in Germany and at the cave. Over the next year, the new GE semi-automatic system was installed. When complete at the cave, the current air picture over East and West Germany, as well as parts of the eastern soviet block countries, was displayed on a 40' X 40' screen. A senior US staff monitored the dynamic display 24/7. Over the next several years, additional 412L sites throughout Germany joined the network until the manual system had been totally replaced.
Time takes its toll on technology. What was advanced in one era quickly becomes obsolete in the next. By 1984, the Kindsbach Cave had become too small and its cost for renovation too high, and USAFE vacated the facility. On 31 October 1993, control was returned to the German government. Today the Kindsbach Cave remains sealed – a relic of the Cold War in Europe and a monument to an air war that was won without ever having been fought.
Pictures of a June 07 bunker tour of ADOC Kindsbach are linked below.
Ramstein Air Base today
From 2004 to 2006, Ramstein Air Base underwent an extensive expansion with a major construction project - which is in its finalizing stage (as of April 2007) - including an all-new airport terminal, among other new facilities, through the so-called Rhein-Main Transition Program which was initiated in support of the total closure of Rhein-Main Air Base on December 30, 2005 and transferring all its former capacities to Ramstein Air Base (70%) and Spangdahlem Air Base (30%).
While the KMC remains the largest U.S. community overseas at 53,000 people, the defense drawdown continues to shape its future. Due to the departure of other main operating installations, more than 100 geographically separated units receive support from Ramstein.
Ramstein Air Base also served as temporary housing for the United States men's national soccer team during the 2006 World Cup to provide the players' a home-field feeling. However, lacking the necessary luck, the team could not use the 'home advantage' in the Kaiserslautern Military Community and did not advance into the next round, even though their overall performance was better than most expected.
There is often a Summer Camp to Ramstein from British CCF (RAF) and ATC cadets.
See also
Major incidents/Events
References
Much of this text in an early version of this article was taken from pages on the Ramstein Air Base website, which as a work of the U.S. Government is presumed to be a public domain resource. That information was supplemented by:
- Donald, David (2004) Century Jets: USAF Frontline Fighters of the Cold War. AIRtime ISBN 1880588684
- Endicott, Judy G. (1999) Active Air Force wings as of 1 October 1995; USAF active flying, space, and missile squadrons as of 1 October 1995. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. CD-ROM.
- Fletcher, Harry R. (1989) Air Force Bases Volume II, Active Air Force Bases outside the United States of America on 17 September 1982. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0912799536
- Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924.
- Martin, Patrick (1994). Tail Code: The Complete History of USAF Tactical Aircraft Tail Code Markings. Schiffer Military Aviation History. ISBN 0887405134.
- Menard, David W. (1998) Before Centuries: USAFE Fighters, 1948-1959. Howell Press Inc. ISBN 1574270796
- Mueller, Robert (1989). Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982. USAF Reference Series, Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-53-6
- Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0912799129.
- Rogers, Brian (2005). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. Hinkley, England: Midland Publications. ISBN 1-85780-197-0.
- [2] USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to present
External links
- Official USAF Website For Ramstein AB
- 526th FIS Homepage
- Photos of 1988 Ramstein Airshow Disaster
- ADOC Kindsbach (In German)
- Ramstein Community Classifieds
- 'Massive' terror plot foiled in Germany (Ramstein Air Base was target)
- ADOC Kindsbach bunker tour, June 07
(located at 49°26.49′N 7°35.50′E / 49.44150°N 7.59167°E)
 United States Air Force in Germany  | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bases |
| ||||||||||||
| Organizations | |||||||||||||
Part of the United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA)   Non-USAFE-AFRICA bases and organizations shown in italics | |||||||||||||