An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : Media : News : News Article View
NEWS | April 29, 2021

Operation Deep Freeze Completes Another Successful Season Despite Pandemic Concerns

By Edzel Butac 446th Airlift Wing Public Affair

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. --
Though it is another season for the books, the 2020-2021 season of Operation Deep Freeze (ODF) ends as a highlight for one Reserve Citizen Airman’s career.

Chief Master Sgt. Ty Brooks, a loadmaster assigned to the 313th Airlift Squadron, has been participating in ODF for 18 years. Brooks, who will retire from the Air Force Reserve this summer, says ODF is one of the highlights of his more than 40-year career.

“I’ll certainly miss working with the staff and crew, and the Kiwi folks that work so hard in support of the Antarctic mission. Of course, flying over the continent of Antarctica never gets old. I won’t miss the cold though.”

Team McChord successfully completed its 2020-2021 season of Operation Deep Freeze March 26.

“This was the 21st season in a row of accident-free Antarctic operations performed by the C-17 teams,” said Lt. Col. Brandon Tellez, Air Mobility Command C-17 Antarctic Mission commander, who is also assigned to the 62nd Airlift Wing.

It was unlike any other season this year. With a raging pandemic across the globe, crews had to adjust to a different set of challenges alongside the frozen landscape of Antarctica.

“The difference this year was COVID-19,” said Senior Master Sgt. Thomas Emmert, ODF superintendent assigned to the 446th Operations Group. “We had to send each rotation into New Zealand two-weeks early in order to do a two-week isolation. Once we were released from isolation and started flying the missions to Antarctica, we had to ensure anytime we were next to cargo or passengers that we had masks and gloves on. The United States Antarctic Program (USAP) and NSF did not want to take any chances on letting the virus enter Antarctica.”

Despite the risk mitigation efforts, the crews still delivered more than three million pounds of cargo, conducted two aeromedical evacuations, and transported more than 1,000 people all while landing on a shortened runway impacted after an Antarctic storm.

“With all the changes and difficulties that had to be endured for COVID-19 operations this last ODF season, everyone involved was ready and willing to do what was asked of them for total mission success,” said Brooks.

The 446th and 62nd Airlift Wings, flying the C-17 Globemaster III, offer unparalleled Department of Defense support to the National Science Foundation (NSF)-managed U.S. Antarctic Program, with operations that began in late September. ODF is unlike any other U.S. military operation. ODF is one of the military's most difficult peacetime missions due to the harsh Antarctic environment. The U.S. military is uniquely equipped and trained to operate in such an austere environment and has therefore provided support to the USAP since 1955.

The ODF season runs annually Aug. 1 through July 31 with the main season ending in February-March timeframe. This timeframe allows the NSF’s research teams and partnered entities the safest and most efficient method of accomplishing their joint goals.

CONNECT WITH USINDOPACOM
Facebook

Like Us
Twitter
342,728
Follow Us

ENGAGE & CONNECT MORE WITH PACOM

                                                 

IN THE USINDOPACOM NEWS
Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Engagements with Japanese Leaders in Tokyo
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III is welcomed to the Japanses Ministry of Defense by Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada Tokyo, Japan, June 1, 2023. The visit comes as the United States and Japan take important strides to modernize Alliance capabilities, optimize U.S. force posture, and build links with like-minded partners following the historic U.S.-Japan “2+2” Ministerial meeting earlier this year. (DoD photo by Chad J. McNeeley)
June 1, 2023 - WASHINGTON -- Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout:Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III met with his Japanese counterpart, Minister of Defense Hamada Yasukazu, and held separate...

Misawa Exercises Joint Tactics in PAC WEASEL
A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 14th Fighter Generation Squadron, sits on the flight line during a Pacific Weasel exercise at Misawa Air Base, Japan, May 26, 2023. This exercise series enhances the defense capabilities of U.S. Forces Japan, and it supports the U.S. commitment to defending a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class William Rodriguez)
June 1, 2023 - MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- Team Misawa hosted the latest iteration of a PACIFIC WEASEL exercise over Draughon Range near Misawa Air Base, Japan, May 26, 2023.PAC WEASEL is a recurring air combat exercise that allows joint and...

U.S. Coast Guard Post-Typhoon Mawar Update 4
Crews from the U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia Sector Guam and other District 14 units are joined by U.S. Coast Guard Incident Management Team members from Virginia on June 1, 2023, as the recovery operations continue in Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas on May 28, 2023. Typhoon Mawar hit Guam with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph and gusts of up to 165 mph, the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Warrant Officer Sara Muir)
June 1, 2023 - SANTA RITA, Guam – On June 1, U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia Sector Guam crews, in collaboration with local partners, continue the relentless effort to coordinate a swift response to maritime needs in Guam and the...

U.S. Army Garrison Japan Exercises Emergency Response
U.S. Army Garrison Japan exercises emergency response   ((Photo Credit: Tim Flack, U.S. Army Garrison Japan Public Affairs)
June 1, 2023 - CAMP ZAMA, Japan -- U.S. Army Garrison Japan held a no-notice exercise Tuesday to test its ability to conduct emergency operations.The exercise focused on a very real threat for the region—a typhoon.The typhoon season in...

The U.S. Providing Nearly $17 Million in Additional Humanitarian Assistance in Response to Tropical Cyclone Mocha in Burma
June 1, 2023 - U.S. Embassy in Burma -- The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing nearly $17 million in additional humanitarian assistance to respond to humanitarian needs following the...