Minutes after the international press announced Nelson Mandela's death on Dec. 5, planners at the 18th Air Force, Air Mobility Command's operational warfighting arm, began working to support anticipated Presidential travel to South Africa. Linking up with their counterparts at U.S. Transportation Command and Air Forces Africa, 18th Air Force planners immediately began the complex effort of orchestrating the movement.
These images show the movement of more than 800 Burundi peacekeepers and equipment from Uganda to the Central African Republic, where they were greeted by cheering crowds.
"This was the most impressive, no-notice start that I can remember," said Maj. Gen. Barbara Faulkenberry, 18th Air Force vice commander. "It was a testament to the phenomenal planning and coordination that is simply a fact of how we do business."
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