The mission is the first in a planned series of U.S. Air Forces in Europe mobility support operations to Italy and helped redistribute more than 15,000 kilograms of COVID-19 relief supplies, including KN-95 masks, surgical gowns and COVID-19 test kits between Italian distribution hubs.
"One of the things this coronavirus pandemic has revealed is the importance of our European partnerships as we fight this invisible enemy together with our NATO allies and partners," said U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Mark August, 86th Airlift Wing commander. "It has also reinforced what we have known for a long time - airlift is always in high demand in any crisis or contingency, and professional airlift is our specialty."
This delivery, along with a variety of other Defense Department support efforts, demonstrates the U.S. commitment to the global pandemic response and highlights the close partnership between the two NATO allies.
The mission also marked another successful use of NATO's Rapid Air Mobility initiative, activated in March 2020 to help NATO military aircraft quickly transit through member nations during contingency response operations.
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman David Tan (right), 86th Operations Support Squadron aircraft loadmaster, reviews manifest details with Italian air force 1st Warrant Officer Francesco G. during a support mission to assist the Italian government in transporting medical supplies to Milan, Italy, May 13, 2020. The mission is the first in a planned series of U.S. Air Forces in Europe mobility support operations to Italy. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kristof J. Rixmann)
More than 15,000 kilograms of medical supplies are loaded into an 86th Airlift Wing C-130J Super Hercules during a support mission to Milan, Italy, May 13, 2020. The medical supplies were flown to Rome, a major distribution hub, where they were needed to combat the coronavirus disease 2019 in Italy. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kristof J. Rixmann)
