An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Behind the Scenes: 127th LRS preps for every deployment

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. David Kujawa
  • 127th Wing Public Affairs
SELFRIDGE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Mich. --  With each and every deployment - be it a training exercise or a live mobilization -- one team of Airmen works to ensure that deploying Airmen, aircraft and equipment gets to where it needs to be, when it needs to be there.

At Selfridge Air National Guard Base, that team is the 127th Logistics Readiness Squadron, which plays a role in preparing each deployment from beginning to end. The process of planning and carrying out the movement of military personnel and equipment to a location in support of a mission requirement is considered a deployment. This includes, but is not limited to: planning, preparing, assembling, inspecting, loading, transporting cargo, training, preparation, processing and loading passengers. The overall deployment process can sometimes take a year or more to coordinate.

"Communication between departments is key to the success of each deployment," said Capt Bradley Gruselle of the 127th LRS.

As of early June 2014, Airmen in the Selfridge-based 127th Air Refueling Group completed their participation in a rolling mobilization that lasted 36 months. Approximately 60 personnel at a time participated in deployment rotations lasting sixty days. LRS was heavily engaged in these mobilizations while also taking care of the annual training needs of other units around the 127th Wing and other nearby military units.

Through the first half of 2014, LRS Airmen coordinated the movement of personnel and equipment to several locations.

Recent deployments serviced by LRS include:

· The 126th CAV Company B Army unit deployed on a training mission to the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center; LRS coordinated the movement of 22 personnel and approximately 52 tons of cargo for that mission.

· Saber Strike, which is a multi-national joint military exercise in the Baltic region of northern Europe; consisted of troop movements of 25 Selfridge personnel and approximately 9.3 tons of cargo.

· Angel Thunder at Davis -Monthan Air Force Base Tucson, Ariz., is the largest joint service, multinational, interagency combat search and rescue exercise consisted of 164 personnel and approximately 53 tons of cargo.

· An innovative readiness training mission for Civil Engineers in Raymond, Maine, consisting of 36 Selfridge personnel from the 127th Civil Engineer Squadron and cargo bags weighing approximately 10,800 lbs., was the most recent deployment LRS organized. Due to runway construction that was taking place at the local base at the time, LRS was responsible for the logistics of acquiring local airport terminals and runways for Selfridge personnel and KC-135 flights to the location in Maine.

"Positive stress is a way of life in the LRS department" said Technical Sgt. Hart Haire, 127th LRS.

Haire is one of several LRS personnel who have been trained in the use of the Air Expeditionary Force support document, which is a tool that allows units the ability to report Unit Training Code level readiness data. It allows immediate updates for all levels of command with sufficient depth of information to make informed decisions on the deployment of forces for AEF operations.

The ultimate success of the 127th Wing is to be well-trained as an established participant that can be counted on by commanders down range. Gruselle said the recent history of deployments at Selfridge has proven that Michigan Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines can quickly move from Selfridge to any needed location in the world - through the support and expertise of the 127th Logistical Readiness Squadron.

Comprised of approximately 1,700 personnel and flying both the A-10 Thunderbolt II and the KC-135 Stratotanker, the 127th Wing supports Air Mobility Command, Air Combat Command and Air Force Special Operation Command by providing highly-skilled Airmen to missions domestically and overseas. The 127th Wing is the host unit at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, which marks its 97th year of continuous military air operations in 2014.