Kandahar Unit Prepares for More Troops

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Kandahar Unit Prepares for More Troops
March 18, 2009
Air Force Print News

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Kandahar Airfield officials activated the 772nd Expeditionary Airlift Squadron here as the NATO base prepares for the build-up of forces to support Operation Enduring Freedom.

The newest airlift squadron in the Air Force will be flying the C-130J Hercules, and serve under the 451st Air Expeditionary Group to assist with the increase of U.S. troops to the region.

One day before the activation ceremony, local missions were being flown by American aircrews when the squadron's first four aircraft arrived at Kandahar Airfield.

"Tactical airlift is a high-demand asset here and we are at the leading edge of the Afghanistan surge of forces," said Col. Ted Osowski, the 451st AEG commander who is deployed from the Air Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. "The C-130J is a very capable aircraft and we are happy to have them. They're going to be busy."

The airfield inhabited by several coalition partners in southern Afghanistan is undergoing a massive expansion and construction in every direction as part of the installation.


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