The 618th Air Operations Center: Delivering Our Nation’s Promises
By MS. LAUREN SCHATZ, STAFF WRITER
Many generations of children have been fascinated by anthills. Something about watching the small but mighty insects carry objects well over their body weight is captivating. There is much to take in as each worker is on a specific mission while the ant colony operates cohesively, maintaining constant productivity and deterrence.
The 618th Air Operations Center (AOC) at Scott Air Force Base, IL, mirrors that magic and is sure to instill that same awe in adults. Yet, as Henry David Thoreau put it, “It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?â€
The 618 AOC is the Department of Defense’s largest AOC and is responsible for supporting mobility operations “anywhere and anytime.†On a global scale, the AOC provides unrivaled command and control across a full spectrum of mobility operations, including airlift, air refueling, aeromedical evacuation, and the global air mobility support system. To accomplish that level of support, the AOC is “always on the clock,†maintaining 24/7 operations 365 days a year. This rigorous schedule is necessary because the AOC commands approximately 100 to 150 missions a day, with multiple sorties under those missions. In addition, they must have the necessary ground support in place to execute all missions effectively.
Brig Gen Rebecca Sonkiss, Commander of the 618 AOC, explains that the AOC’s overall duty is to deliver the nation’s promises.
“We’ve got an eye on what is going on across the globe, and we are able to shift capability and capacity to meet the needs of our nation,†Sonkiss said. “We do not just deliver the Joint Force, but we ensure that the Joint Force is sustained.â€
Whether that means supporting the fight for Ukrainian democracy, providing evacuation services to Afghan refugees, or conducting the first in system select KC-46 intertheater aeromedical evacuation mission,* the AOC works behind the scenes to make tremendous accomplishments happen.
One Airman at the AOC added, “If there has been a global crisis on the news, chances are we were there offering support before it even hit your TV.â€
This high-pressure mission is coupled with the AOC’s duty of ensuring that their deterrence posture is strong and that they are committed to protecting the homeland.
“To juggle all of that simultaneously is difficult work, but we do it in such a way that most people do not even think about it,†Sonkiss said. “I am grateful for the Mobility Airmen who take on this mission and who do it so well.â€
The intangible weight that individual Airmen take on is immense, and the Commander credits their mission success to the “Warrior Heart†of the Airmen. Sonkiss says her first focus is always the Airmen and preparing them to be resilient, capable, credible, and confident.
“The errors that we make in planning or in delivering products to the crew add to the error chain,†she explained. “We are wholly focused on minimizing those errors and providing the best products possible … I think that shift in mentality of being an extension of the crew has really paid huge dividends.â€
Commanding a fleet of nearly 1,100 mobility aircraft, the 618 AOC brings together more than 800 active duty, Reserve, National Guard, civilian, and contractor personnel to support global mobility operations.
MISSION
Plan, task, execute, and assess global air mobility operations.
VISION
Provide multidomain command and control of mobility forces in a contested environment.
The AOC certainly keeps safety at the forefront. In fact, the Commander noted that safety is the first conversation regarding operations she has when she walks through the door because of the robust feedback that is provided and combed through daily. Sonkiss shared that the 618 AOC’s culture of safety is the most responsive safety loop that she has seen in her career.
Sonkiss is also focused on modernizing the AOC in preparation for its move to the new Joint Operational Mission Planning Center, also at Scott Air Force Base. The building is set to be complete in 2024 and will help fuse U.S. Transportation Command, Air Mobility Command staff, and the 618 AOC to improve the ability to execute the high-end-fight. This modernization serves to increase the resiliency and capability of executing missions in highly contested environments.
“This will accelerate our decision-making process to ensure that we are taking the best advantage of the precious capacity available to continue to deliver our nation’s promises,†Sonkiss said.
Sonkiss became Commander in May 2022. She has overseen the execution of more than 315 Bomber Task Force missions and the delivery of close to 24 million pounds of fuel for the effort, as well as the completion of more than 2,100 sorties in support of Ukraine.
Sonkiss’s diverse portfolio set her up perfectly for the role. With a background that covered a spectrum of advising on security cooperation, counter weapons of mass destruction, counter-terrorism, and more, Sonkiss was more than qualified to oversee the incredibly diverse operations the 618 AOC accomplishes daily.
Sonkiss most recently served as the Deputy Director for Counter Threats and International Cooperation (J-5), Joint Staff, Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. The Deputy Directorate advised the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on all global and functional matters. In other words, the Commander says, she went from advising how to carry out our nation’s promises to overseeing the execution of those promises, adding that it was an “incredible alignment.â€
The 618 AOC’s ability to cast a net so widely while remaining focused on being the maneuver for the Joint Force is an extraordinary feat.
“It is a pretty magical organization,†Sonkiss stated. “I would consider it the most impactful Command in the Department of Defense; I know other people would argue with me about that, but from my viewpoint, I truly see it,†Sonkiss said.
Much like examples observed in nature—such as that fascinating anthill— working together to achieve greatness seems to be innate. Behind what appears miraculous are individuals with strength beyond themselves, dedicated to carrying out our nation’s promises.
*In the second week of April 2023, the 618 AOC undertook an operational patient requirement using a KC-46 for the first time. This mission, which was neither preplanned nor routine, transported two priority patients out of Guam. It required coordination with various commands to transport the patients safely to San Diego, CA. The mission was a success and an impactful vignette of the work carried out by the 618 AOC.