The key to always being ready is preparation - words that embody the missions carried out by the 445th Logistics Readiness Squadron.
The squadron has seven sections that play a pivotal role in readiness that focus on materiel management, fuels management, logistics planning, vehicle operations and maintenance, traffic management, quality assurance and the deployment processing center.
"The logistics readiness squadron ensures the warfighter has the resources to complete their mission," said Jessica Shaughnessy, 445th LRS chief of plans and integration section/installation deployment officer. "Essentially, the LRS handles everything 'behind the scenes' to ensure the wing runs smoothly and its personnel can focus on their primary mission."
According to Senior Master Sgt. Douglas Schaumleffel, 445th LRS ground transportation superintendent, ground transportation manages 80 vehicles valued at around $4.1 million.
"We do licensing, dispatch and drive all busses tasked for events," said Capt. Joel Russo, 445th LRS material management and ground transportation flight commander.
Schaumleffel said he oversees 32 vehicle control officials throughout the wing who work with fleet management for all routine vehicle maintenance requirements.
To help in mastering the fundamentals of vehicle maintenance, ground transportation collaborates with the Springfield Air National Guard and local Dayton-area businesses. By utilizing those facilities, this provides Airmen with the necessary on-the-job training tasks needed for skill level upgrades to maintain current qualifications, as well as for those in supervisory upgrade training.
"We train with Sandy's Towing and Recovery and Carrier Service bi-annually, and Germain Ford of Beavercreek," Schaumleffel explained. "Airmen use their facilities to receive on-the-job training for safe use of wrecker vehicles, recovery procedures and vehicle maintenance training. This has aided in the completion of our core tasks for ground transportation and vehicle maintenance career fields."
According to Schaumleffel, these local partnerships have strengthened the squadron's reputation in the community and continue to keep ground transportation Airmen prepared to deploy and maintain assets for peak performance.
"External organizations have allowed us to engage with the community, build relations and integrate their knowledge and experience that we can practice in our training, building confidence for everyone in their particular field," he explained. "This also allows for members to develop into supervisors and helps them develop/conduct training sessions."
While vehicle maintenance is a big part of LRS, the squadron also procures other equipment through the material management flight that includes 28 Airmen and focuses on logistics support and decentralized materiel support.
"Materiel management ensures mobility and supply chain management systems are being utilized in as efficient a manner as possible and pivots to more robust methods in times of crisis," said Master Sgt. Mark Reel, 445th LRS materiel management flight superintendent. "LRS is financial management's focal point for all acquisitions concerning uniforms and personnel equipment know as leu."
According to Master Sgt. Sarah McAlister, 445th LRS logistics support manager, DMS accelerated 146 mission-critical parts orders that were valued at $3.8 million in this current year, supporting C-17 Globemaster III aircraft operations.
"The LRS decentralized materiel support is integrated within the 445th Maintenance Group, offering direct support in the research, storage, issuance and sourcing of aircraft parts," McAlister said. "The DMS also oversees the movement of repairable parts through the repair cycle to ensure critical assets are restored to serviceable stock for future use."
McAlister said the logistics support function "delivers real-time assistance for the issuance of clothing and individual equipment, facilitating the distribution of daily use and deployment uniform items."
Logistics support provides these items to 2,600 members in 13 squadrons and 12 geographically separated units across the 445th AW and 655th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing. Since the beginning of fiscal year 2025, logistics support has issued more than 400 individual clothing items.
Reel highlighted that when the 445th AW transitioned from the Airman Battle Uniforms to the Operational Camouflage Pattern uniforms from 2018 to 2021, LRS was the "sole source" of procurement for the wing, as they are the program managers for the uniform procurement process.
In total, Reel said the flight procured around $150,000 uniforms and equipment last year, averaging about $200,000 over the last eight years.
Materiel management procures anything from shirts to flight suits, and Reel explained they also provide serviceable replacements for short-notice taskers. For example, when the wing deployed short notice in October 2023, materiel management procured $40,000 in protective equipment for the 140 deployers.
Additionally, they were able to provide the deployers uniform items a month into the deployment that had been on backorder with the vendor due to an emergency stock they had in order.
Overall, Shaughnessy said the LRS supplies the wing, facilitates deployment and sustains mobility.
"In essence, the LRS directly impacts a wing's ability to launch and recover aircraft, deploy forces rapidly, sustain operations at home and abroad, and train effectively for any mission," she explained. "Without a well-functioning LRS, a wing would be severely hampered in its ability to execute its mission and maintain readiness."
