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Agile Combat Employment (ACE) remains an evolving focus for Air Mobility Command (AMC) as Airmen on all levels work toward conceptualizing the strategy of spreading out and moving quickly to combat near-peer adversaries.

It can be hard to anticipate the things you cannot imagine. When the Wright Brothers invented powered flight in 1903, they were likely oblivious to mid-air collisions. However, aviation recorded its first fatal inflight impact between two powered aircraft by 1912. Perhaps unexpectedly, the pilots involved were not civilians; they were military officers training for conflict before World War I.

The holidays make us think of loved ones, feasts, sparkling lights, and aromatic evergreens. It is when families get together to celebrate and enjoy traditions.

The holidays are coming, and many will travel abroad either officially or on leave. Traveling to a foreign country can be an enjoyable and satisfying experience for Airmen and their families.

Hypothermia is a dangerous condition that can happen after exposure to extremely cold temperatures. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), from 1999 to 2011, a total of 16,911 deaths in the United States, an average of 1,301 per year, were associated with hypothermia.

Winter sports enthusiasts are looking ahead to the snowy season with excitement in hopes of enjoying various activities, including snowmobiling. With approximately 230,000 miles of trails available throughout the United States and Canada, snowmobiling enthusiasts have a lot to be excited about.

We live in an age when we are inundated with news from various media. Most of us likely are so busy with our own lives and responsibilities that we are lucky if we can keep up with what is going on in the world. Now, thanks to the rapidly growing field of artificial intelligence, or AI, we cannot even take the videos and photos we see at face value.

MISHAP-FREE FLYING HOUR MILESTONES

If you have read this magazine for a while, you know I was in a crash landing event early in my career.* This article is a footnote to the stories published in the Winter 2021-2022 and Winter 2015-2016 issues of The Mobility Forum.

SrA Caleb Hargrove, an Air Transportation Specialist assigned to the 728th Air Mobility Squadron, prepares to unload medical shelters and equipment at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, Feb. 18, 2023.

In 2023, the Safety Directorate at Air Mobility Command (AMC) welcomed Col Jeffrey A. Smith as its new Director. Smith was commissioned in May 2000 from Fayetteville State University’s Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program. After completing pilot training, he served in a variety of positions, including Chief of Wing Flight Safety, Advanced Instrument Instructor, Navy Crew Resource Management Instructor, Chief of Information Protection, Wing Treaty Control Officer, Headquarters Chief of Joint Manpower, and Headquarters Air Expert for NATO operations in Afghanistan. To date, Smith is a Command Pilot with over 2,400 hours in military cargo and transport aircraft.

Col Patrick C. Winstead, Vice Commander, 18th Air Force, Scott Air Force Base, IL, brings valuable experience to his current position, in which he serves 12 wings comprising 36,000 Airmen. Winstead learned a lot working for Air Mobility Command’s (AMC) personnel team in the Directorate of Manpower, Personnel and Services, including knowledge about military and civilian personnel programs and policies. He is grateful to Maj Gen Martin, the 18th Air Force Commander, for the opportunity to serve in the 18th Air Force. Their vision statement is: Ready today, prepared for tomorrow…EXPEDITE. “I really think that’s what our wings embody, that 18th Air Force Vision. They’re already doing that every day,” Winstead stated.