Situated in the CENTAF combined air operations center in Southwest Asia, the aerial port control center with its crew of 12 transport specialists operates around the clock, making about 2,000 passenger reservations and moving more than 3,000 pallets of cargo each month. Troops used to wait 24 hours to know if they had a flight, now, officials say, they know within 30 minutes. The backlog of cargo has dropped by two-thirds. The APC has maximized airlift in the theater by filling aircraft to their maximum capacity, according to Lt. Col. Timothy O’Brien, the center’s chief from Scott AFB, Ill.
The KC-135 Stratotanker that lost part of its vertical stabilizer in a deadly midair collision over Iraq in March is among a group of damaged tankers that have returned to Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., to be fully repaired.