Air Advisor Units Ready for Action

Air Mobility Command’s two air advisor squadrons tasked with mentoring partner nation air forces recently declared full operational capability, announced command officials. “To date, our role has been to train ourselves in the art of air advising,” explained 571st Mobility Support Advisory Squadron Commander Lt. Col. Gabriel Griess in a Jan. 8 release from Travis AFB, Calif., home of the unit. “Going forward, we will execute the mission . . . in conjunction with US military groups in each respective country,” he added. To reach FOC, airmen of the 571st MSAS and 818th MSAS at JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., completed air advisor and instructor courses, as well as survival, evasion, resistance, and escape training and language instruction, according to the release. Travis advisors completed studies in Spanish for assignment to Latin America, while the McGuire unit trained in French for assignment to Africa. Both of the squadrons report to the 621st Contingency Response Wing at McGuire. They attained the FOC milestone on Dec. 1. (Travis report by TSgt. Lesley Waters) (See also Travis Wing Stands Up Advisory Squadron.)