In episode 188 of the Aerospace Advantage, Front Line Air Mobility Revolution: 317th Airlift Wing Conversation, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats with 317th Airlift Wing Commander Col Thomas Lankford.

Based at Dyess AFB and equipped with C-130Js, the men and women of the 317th are executing their missions in one of the most transformational eras regarding air mobility. After three decades of operating in relatively permissive environments, much of it in regionally focused theaters, new mission demands in the Pacific and beyond require airmen to develop new tactics, techniques, and procedures to ensure necessary personnel, equipment, and supplies get to the point of need. Lethal threats, directed both at aircraft in the sky and forward operating bases, are radically reshaping mobility requirements. So too are the vast distances of the Pacific. New operating concepts like agile combat employment and the need to flow vast quantities of materials necessary to sustain a full-fledged major theater conflict are also posing distinct challenges. This episode will explore these variables from a cutting edge flightline perspective.