Mission Enablers

Imagine that a devastating natural disaster has struck somewhere on the international stage. The Government of Canada has pledged aid in the form of humanitarian assistance delivered by the Canadian Armed Force’s (CAF’s) Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART). Within 48 hours, the DART is on its way to the affected region to support the provision of humanitarian assistance. The Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF’s) strategic airlift capability enables Canada to transport personnel and equipment across the world. But once on the ground, how will the equipment be unloaded? Who will be responsible for liaising with local airport authorities regarding the secure processing of passengers on board? Who will coordinate aircraft requirements, such as fuel, parking, and servicing, with the local airport? These little-publicised, but extraordinarily challenging, tasks fall to the dedicated men and women of the Mobile Air Movements Sections (MAMS). 

MAMS are task-tailored teams of traffic technicians and logistics officers that provide air movement support to airlift operations, especially for deployment and redeployment. 

MAMS support both strategic and tactical airlift operations in a multitude of locations around the world. These teams
are generated by 2 Air Movements Squadron (2 Air Mov Sqn) located at 8 Wing Trenton, Ont. Since 2012, 2 Air Mov Sqn has been commanded by LCol Deborah Graitson. It has more than 215 military and civilian personnel, who safely and efficiently process passengers, baggage, freight, and mail that originates, stages through, or terminates at 8 Wing. But a key function of 2 Air Mov Sqn is to maintain the capability to deploy up to four MAMS with personnel trained and medically fit to work in any environment around the world.


Team composition is tailored to fit each individual task.

Team members are chosen for their complimentary areas of expertise, including technical loading knowledge on different airframes being used, experience with the type of cargo
being moved, proficiency with completing necessary shipping documentation, and strategic load planning skills. Depending on the scale and nature of the task, the size of a MAMS can vary from a four-member team led by a Master Corporal, up to a 12-person team led by a Captain. This technique of custom designing MAMS teams to fit operational requirements allows 2 Air Mov Sqn the flexibility to respond to a variety of simultaneous tasks of varying duration and scale. MAMS regularly work in support of established operations and exercises, but are also used in a surge capacity to assist deployed operations during peak periods. Embodying the squadron’s motto, “Nunquam non Paratus” (never unprepared), 2 Air Mov Sqn has deployed MAMS in rapid response to a variety of crises both domestically and worldwide.

Operation Renaissance, Canada’s efforts to assist the Philippines government with humanitarian aid following the destruction caused by Typhoon Haiyan on Nov. 8, 2013, was one such rapid response operation. In Op Renaissance, MAMS were one of the first teams on the ground, and worked to establish support to airlift operations by coordinating the
use of mobile handling equipment, such as forklifts and split loaders, to ensure that freight essential to the operation was unloaded safely and efficiently. As the operation unfolded, MAMS continued to support airlift operations by preparing loads and documentation for air transport, liaising with the Movement Control Detachment on the ground for the onward movement of equipment and personnel, and providing advice and guidance on load preparation and aircraft configurations to the command team in theatre. In total, MAMS supported the movement of over 300 passengers and 900,000 pounds. (408,000 kg) of freight in and out of the Philippines with professionalism and dedication.

“It was a tremendous and memorable experience; one that will last a lifetime,” said Capt Arleta Jurek, who was the MAMS Officer for the mission. “We were given the opportunity to help another country, to provide logistical and material assistance in response to a natural disaster, and no work will even feel as rewarding as [those] weeks have felt.”

Another example of the short notice deployment capability of MAMS was in Operation Serval — the French government’s military intervention in Mali. Canada deployed a CC-177 Globemaster along with a small team to help move equipment, supplies, and personnel from France to Bamako, Mali. For the duration of the mission, the 12-person MAMS worked in conjunction with the French Air Force to process three million pounds. (1.36 million kilograms) of freight on 46 chalks. The team’s outstanding commitment to excellence was recognized by the French Air Force as essential to the mission’s success.


In recognition of the role MAMS teams played in the mission in Mali, the Air Force Association of Canada presented 2 Air Mov Sqn with the prestigious Gordon R. McGregor Memorial Trophy. This trophy commemorates the late Gordon R. McGregor, past president of the association, in recognition of his pioneering accomplishments in the field of air transportation in Canada, and is awarded annually in recognition of outstanding achievements in that field. Having received the award on multiple occasions in the past, the unit was proud in 2013 to once again be honoured with the trophy for “commitment to excellence, and expeditionary capability on the international mission to combat terrorism.”

While MAMS play an important role in rapid-response missions, they are also an essential part of routine operations — such as the biannual mission to resupply Canadian Forces Station Alert, which is located just over 800 kilometres from the North Pole in Nunavut. Known as Operation Boxtop, this mission takes place each April and September, and sees all the fuel and supplies essential to Alert’s continued operation flown in over a period of just two weeks. During Op Boxtop, up to 20 MAMS personnel are deployed to the austere locations
of Thule Air Force Base in Greenland, CFS Alert, Eureka, and Resolute Bay in Nunavut. The teams work tirelessly to build pallets of supplies, and load and unload those pallets and fuel drums for the more than 50 flights it takes to resupply Alert.


In September 2013, MAMS personnel handled 54 flights, 239 passengers, 18,005 lbs. (8,167 kg) of baggage, and 1.23 million lbs. (558,000 kg) of freight over the 14 days of Op Boxtop. Despite severe weather conditions that restricted much of the first week of flights, RCAF personnel were able to make up for the lost time and deliver all of the supplies, thanks in no small part to the dedication and efforts of the MAMS personnel on the ground. Another annual operation for MAMS teams is the Joint Readiness Training Centre (JRTC) Green Flag exercise, conducted in Fort Polk, La. The JRTC exercise involves the
U.S. and other Allied armed forces. The RCAF deploys to Little Rock AFB in Texas to provide airlift and airdrop support for the exercise, in conjunction with the U.S. Air Force. MAMS teams are regularly a key element of the RCAF contribution to the JRTC exercise, providing airlift and airdrop support in the form of tactical rigging and loading/unloading operations. During the JRTC exercise in August 2013, MAMS personnel operated on a 24-hour basis throughout the seven day exercise, rigging seven aircraft for airdrop, and loading/offloading 13 aircraft for airlift operations.


MAMS personnel also play an important role in Third Location Decompression (TLD) in Paphos, Cyprus. TLD processes CAF members from a variety of deployed theatres and environmental backgrounds, serving as an important transition between operations overseas and domestic life in Canada. These passengers and their baggage must be handled and processed in accordance with local customs regulations, and in addition to loading and unloading the aircraft, MAMS personnel conduct customs briefings with TLD personnel to ensure that regulations concerning permitted and non-permitted items are clear. MAMS also conduct any required baggage inspections and coordinate with local airport staff and customs personnel, helping to maintain the good relationship Canada holds with the host nation. On the very last Cyprus TLD in March 2014; which was the mission close-out of Afghanistan, the five-person MAMS team processed a total of 138 passengers, 46,400 lbs. (21,137 kg) of baggage, and 54,320 lbs. (24,639 kg) of freight. They closed down operations in Paphos by shipping all equipment, materiel, and personnel back to Canada.

One of the largest scale tasks for RCAF strategic airlift is
the establishment or closure of an operational theatre. As
Op Attention in Afghanistan drew to a close, the RCAF was faced with the task of moving a large amount of equipment and supplies back from theatre. It utilized its strategic airlift capabilities to move material from Kabul, Afghanistan, to Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait (the Intermediate Staging Terminal — or IST). MAMS were an indispensable part of the Mission Closure Team (MCT), which was located in both Afghanistan and Kuwait. As vehicles, pallets, and sea containers filled with supplies and equipment flowed in from across the operational theatre, MAMS performed the essential role of advising on aircraft capacities and loads, inspecting, weighing, and preparing the cargo for air movement, and preparing necessary documentation for the loads. Over 650,000 lbs. (295,000 kg) of freight was airlifted using CC-177 Globemasters from the operational theatre to the IST in Kuwait, where it was then offloaded, processed, and prepared for onward movement
by the Mission Closure Team. “With MAMS teams working in both Kabul, Afghanistan, and Ali Al Salem, Kuwait, 2 Air Mov Sqn’s role in the Op Attention drawdown was indispensable,” said Capt Candice Thompson, who led the five-person MAMS team at the IST in Kuwait during the mission closure. “With a logistical operation of this scale, the CAF relied heavily on the RCAF’s strategic airlift capability to transport the hundreds of thousands of pounds of equipment back to Canada. MAMS are a vital part of that capability, providing the logistical manpower of the strategic airlift capability on the ground.”

In order to complete mission drawdown, MAMS teams
worked with the United States Air Force, local contractors
in both Kuwait and Afghanistan, and other international militaries and contractors, to coordinate the operation of ground handling equipment, airport facilities and storage,
and onward movement.


MAMS are a small but indispensable piece of strategic and tactical airlift operations. As is a common theme for logisticians, much of the work that MAMS do is behind the scenes, yet critical to operational success. By creating essential support networks on the ground and ensuring compliance with customs and dangerous goods regulations, the communication network inherent in MAMS is fundamental to helping operations flow smoothly. The technical expertise MAMS provide, and the skilled work they perform in preparing loads, and loading and unloading aircraft on the ground, guarantees the safety of air freight and passengers alike. In recognition of the extraordinary work done by 2 Air Mov Sqn, the unit was awarded the Chief of Defense Staff Unit Commendation in 2010.


The traffic technicians and logistics officers who compose the RCAF’s MAMS maintain a high level of personal readiness, always prepared to deploy into new and unusual situations. These men and women demonstrate astonishing determination, flexibility, and skill as they operate in a range of austere conditions across the globe, delivering service that is truly second to none.