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Brig Gen Daniel A. DeVoe took command of the 618th Air Operations Center (AOC) from Brig Gen Jimmy R. Canlas during a change of command ceremony at Scott Air Force Base on June 12, 2020.

Ask any fighter pilot how they feel about the KC-135 when they are halfway across the Atlantic Ocean (the pond) and running low on fuel. I have flown dozens of missions across the pond with fighters in loose trail formation and always knew when they were running low on fuel.

The 618th Air Operations Center (AOC) encompasses a wide range of responsibilities, and carrying out those responsibilities are personnel from an even broader range of career fields.

When hazards arise that need action or attention, or you experience a situation from which others can learn, the Aviation/Airman Safety Action Program (ASAP) provides a means to identify issues for resolution or to raise awareness in the Mobility Air Force (MAF) community.

In late March of this year, the spread of the highly contagious COVID-19 virus challenged the entire world to mitigate what had become a deadly global pandemic.

History tells us that few great civilizations have had the capability to maintain lasting peace. Over time, we have seen the mightiest empires challenged, and when all negotiating and reasoning have been exhausted, there comes a time to protect and defend in battle.

The Air Force once again proved that it is ready, willing, and able by utilizing their training when the COVID-19 pandemic surfaced. Air Mobility Command helped save the day by making the Transport Isolation System (TIS) available and ready to transport COVID-19 patients in response to official requests for support.

We are all familiar with Global Reach as one of three core precepts of the modern U.S. Air Force (USAF), in tandem with Global Vigilance and Global Power. We have seen some remarkable examples of our Global Reach capabilities in recent decades.

Imagine that as your aircraft begins to descend, you experience a severe, sharp pain localized in one of your teeth. Such intense pain may distract your focus from the critical details of your flight and may impair your ability to accomplish your mission safely.

Cold War tensions sparked in 1947 between Stalin’s Soviet Union and the United States following the end of WWII. By 1980, fear of nuclear war gripped the nation as the global superpowers tensely vied for supremacy. In great haste, the adversaries stockpiled nuclear weapons and braced for the worst.

Full Spectrum Readiness is integral to the continuing objectives of the Air Force. It is woven through the training and preparation of Airmen who fly the humanitarian and Total Force contingency missions of the Air Mobility Command (AMC).

On March 4, 2020, my crew and I arrived at our KC-135R, an aerial refueling tanker, at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey. As the aircraft commander I was on my seventh deployment and was an instructor/evaluator, the copilot was on his third deployment, and the boom operator was on his first.