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        TOPIC AREA: CREW MANAGEMENT / UTC STAFFING / STANDARDIZATION OF
        TRAINING 

        SUBMITTED BY: HQ AFRES/SGXO
       
        ISSUE: Assignment of tactical (C-130 trained) crews to support a
        strategic mission reduced mission capability.
       
       OBSERVATION: The mission of the NRAECC at RAF Upper Heyford was
       to accomplish U.K. to CONUS aeromedical evacuation missions.
       However, only 20 of 65 assigned medical crews were qualified on
       C-141 aircraft.
       
       DISCUSSION: Personnel from units having a tactical mission were
       deployed into a strategic situation. We were instructed that the
       Medical Crew Director and Charge Medical Technician on each
       mission had to be C-141 qualified. This resulted in a total crew
       capability of 39 based on the number of qualified MCDs assigned.
       Based on estimated patient workloads, we would have exhausted
       medical crews in three days. This observation has been made
       numerous times over the years and still has not been fixed.
       
       IMPACT: This would require an increase in manpower
       authorizations for all C-130 aeromedical evacuation units.
       Further analysis is required.
       
       RECOMMENDATION: Mission statements of both strategic and
       tactical aeromedical evacuation units should be updated to
       include their dual tactical/strategic role in aeromedical
       evacuation and all medical crews must be required to be mission
       qualified in both tactical and strategic movement segments.
       Although the "crew is a crew" concept has been discussed for many
       years, it is obvious that necessary training has not been
       accomplished. Only the low patient count in Operation Desert
       Storm saved the aeromedical evacuation system from revealing this
       weakness. We can no longer afford to neglect this serious
       training deficiency.
       
       
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