Five-score and eight months ago ...

  • Published
  • By Col. Christopher D. Ogren
  • 477th Fighter Group

Five-score and eight months ago, the Air Force wisely laid in a Fighter Classic Associate on the F-22 Raptor mission here at Joint Base Elmendorf- Richardson.

In that time, we’ve grown from seven to 400 souls and we've grown with the F-22, and the AIR DOMINANCE mission.

In all of that, maintenance squadron professionals, you are the unsung heros of the backshops – the last glove save, the last stop before we have to go to the SUPPLY system, the DEPOT, or – God forbid – Lockheed Martin for an AR.

                - You save our Production Bacon

                - You minimize our “Parts plus…..”  conundrum

                - You are the the “shadow” warrior AIRMEN who support the flight line every day….. 24/7 in LO

BLUF - We're here to provide the operational experience, surge capicity,  and strategic depth in the fighter business.  You’ve heard me say the CAF is the first thing our nation's leaders fall back on when they need options to secure our national interests. So backshops are important. Backshop AIRMEN are important. Think about it – it boggles the mind the vast and varied tasks the MXS generates:

-- MOC – helping do C2

-- Accessories Flight – Fuels - Egress

-- Fabrications Flight - NDI Section Low - Observable Section

-- AGE Flight

-- Armament Flight - Munitions Section

It is ALL important.

Welcome to the Classic Associate Fighter game -- it may not be the best, or easiest, way to produce AIR DOMINANCE, but it is the best combat power the nation can *afford.*  We all have to be stewards of the taxpayer's dollars, and your MXS Airmen epitomize that. 

It may not be perfect - but our Air Force remains the envy of the world - and your relationship with our PARTNERS to produce Combat POWER every day will make it worth the effort.