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MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU AIR BASE, Romania — Maj. Gen. John R. O’Connor, commanding general of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, and Air Force Maj. Gen. Laurian Anastasof, chief of the Romanian air force staff, marked a major combined joint achievement and launched a new level of mission capability during a ceremony Feb. 28 in the new passenger transit facility here.
The event was attended by approximately 100 allied personnel, punctuated by speeches from the senior leaders and topped with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting executed with a pair of gigantic novelty scissors. The event celebrated the achievement of “full operational capability” at the newly constructed facility.
“The establishment of the transit center at Mihail Kogălniceanu strengthens an effective network of capabilities protecting the interests of the U.S. and our allies,” O’Connor said. “Our partnership helps to shape the region, build trust and provide critical capabilities to our combatant commanders as the mission in Afghanistan winds down.
“Romania and the United States have partnered effectively for decades, because our nations believe that such partnerships bring long-term mutual benefits for regional security and strengthen the NATO alliance,” he continued. “The establishment of Transit Center MK in such a short period reaffirms that assertion.”
Anastasof followed O’Connor to the podium. Like his American counterpart, the chief of staff emphasized international cooperation and the strength of the U.S.-Romanian partnership.
“Both NATO and strategic partnership commitments of the Romanian air force, as well as the path we have chosen to meet them, give expression to our solidarity and determination to successfully complete joint projects, such as this one on the benefit of peace, freedom and democracy,” Anastasof said. “The notable accomplishments in theaters of operations clearly show the benefits of military cooperation, such as between the U.S. and Romania, guided by the principle, ‘we train together — we fight together.’”
The establishment of the new transit center supports broader national and international objectives, O’Connor said.
“This mission is part of a larger strategic aim to responsibly withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan — a commitment the U.S. and our NATO allies and partners made to the government of Afghanistan as it moves toward full security responsibility this year,” he said. “This expanded joint and combined transit center provides European Command with the capability and capacity to process forces at the velocity required by Central Command.”
The MK team that oversaw the construction of the new facilities and organization of the expanded air transit mission views the achievement of full operational capability as an important marker en route to mission accomplishment and transition to steady state operations.
“FOC means we can process the maximum planning capacity of 2,000, in terms not only of airfield capability and personnel processing — which includes customs, security and a variety of considerations beyond the flights themselves — but also life-support facilities,” said Col. Michael C. Snyder, 21st TSC deputy commanding officer and officer in charge of the Regional Support Element.
Event organizers accomplished their own delicate miracle — a combined joint ceremony while simultaneously processing a precedent-shattering 11 separate transit flights and redeploying the first major rotation of administrative staff. U.S. Airmen, Marines and Soldiers of all components, as well as key Romanian leaders and military personnel, conducted the ceremony in the newly constructed transit facility as redeploying troops cleared customs in an adjacent building created by TSC engineers and partners.
Remarkably, facility cadre assembled materials for the event, conducted rehearsals and executed the ceremony without postponing a single transit mission by as much as a minute.
“The DCO said mission is still first, and we kept our priorities straight the whole time,” said Sgt. Maj. Robert Hickson, RSE sergeant major. “He was very clear he did not want the ceremony to take anything away from normal operations. The transit facility is the whole reason we’re here, and we didn’t want anyone losing focus on that mission, even for a day.”
Hickson also emphasized the prevailing spirit of joint, combined collaboration.
“It was just amazing how the U.S. Army and Air Force and the Romanian air force came together as a team to make this a dignified and respectful ceremony that perfectly served its purpose,” he said. “We couldn’t have accomplished any of this without working together. The Romanians worked with us every step of the way; there are a lot of moving parts to a ceremony with distinguished visitors from two different countries, but we made it happen. The soldiers and the airmen — both American and Romanian — were all very motivated and did everything they could to make the whole event a success.”
The transit center, constructed by Soldiers of the 902nd Engineer Company (Vertical), part of the 21st TSC’s 15th Eng. Battalion, 18th Eng. Brigade, provides essential logistical, transportation, reintegration, and morale and welfare services, accommodating the flow of American service members into and out of European and Central Asian operating areas through the end of 2014 or the completion of current missions.
The temporary facility accommodates, at peak, around 2,000 transiting personnel. An enduring contingent of around 350 service members and civilians operates the passenger transit center, administers facilities and provides services.
