374 MOS provides support for MXG, wing

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Michael Washburn
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  Support is not a foreign term to the Air Force. The medical group provides support by helping base personnel when they're injured. Security forces provide support by keeping the base safe and secure. Supporting the maintenance group and the mission of keeping Yokota's aircraft in the clouds is the 374th Maintenance Operation Squadron.

Capt. Fernando Rolon, 374 MOS commander, said his squadron provides logistical and aircraft maintenance specialist training to 600 personnel in a variety of career fields.

"The squadron monitors fleet health, manages quality assurance programs, builds aircraft plans and schedules, analyzes maintenance data accuracy and coordinates overall maintenance functions through the maintenance operations center," Rolon said.

Like other squadrons, MOS is comprised of various sections working toward a universal mission. One of these sections is Knowledge Operations.

"We deal mostly with administrative support," said Staff Sgt. Sarah Howard, 374th MOS Knowledge Operations. "We're the information assurance officer, and we help set up e-mails for Airmen, diagnose e-mail problems, handle USB violations, as well as a number of other things. We're like the middleman between the maintenance group and the communications squadron."

Another MOS section playing a crucial role in the mission is the maintenance operations center.

Senior Airman Jacob Law, 374 MOS junior weapons systems controller, said his section coordinates information about Yokota aircraft and ensures it is correct for the various flightline agencies' knowledge.

"On a day-to-day basis, we track aircraft movement, call in fuel requests and ensure all the aircraft statuses are correct," Law added. "We report that information to the group commander and all the way up to Pacific Air Force and build the slides for the stand-up meetings."

Along with the MOC and knowledge operations sections, the squadron is comprised of the maintenance training; maintenance management and analysis; plans, scheduling and documentation; engine management; and programs and resources.

Just like any Yokota office or work area, the squadron has its fair share of challenges.

"One of the challenges we face is the constant training [required] for our maintainers," the squadron commander said. "The training flight provides on average 20 courses a month for our maintainers. It is a team effort and that is why the training flight is recognized as the 2012 PACAF Maintenance Training Flight of the Year."

As an airlift wing, it is vital for Yokota to maintain its air superiority, and 374 MOS Airmen play a key role ensuring excellence is maintained, enabling the wing to provide rapid, global mobility throughout the Pacific region.