386th Expeditionary Logistic Readiness Squadron vehicle maintainers keep the fleet rolling Published July 16, 2021 By Senior Airman Helena Owens 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs ALI AL SALEM AIR BASE, Kuwait -- The 386th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Vehicle Management Flight is responsible for the service and maintenance of all vehicles of the 386th Expeditionary Air Wing here. The vehicle management flight provides maintenance support to a 936-vehicle fleet, valued at approximately $123 million. Of the 936 vehicles 336 of them are leased from a local company in the host nation. “If it is a registered vehicle assigned here, we manage and maintain it,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Stephen Pace, flight commander of the 386th Logistics Readiness Squadron Vehicle Management Flight. “We have the second largest fleet in AFCENT. So keeping it operational takes a wide breadth of knowledge from our Airmen to accomplish this. I have a great flight here, they work really hard and I’m very proud of them.” Maintenance can range from routine oil changes to complete engine replacements. Managing the vehicles also consists of analyzing them with various systems to see what it has been through, what it needs and if it can continue to be operational. “Day to day we take care of any vehicles that are scheduled for maintenance like oil changes or tire rotations,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Douglas Johnson, a vehicle maintainer assigned to the 386th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Vehicle Management Flight. “We also have a standby phone so we are available 24/7 in case anything comes up we can go take care of it and ensure the fleet is up and running strong.” Each unit has a certain number of vehicles that they must have operational in order to complete their mission. There is a priority list for the vehicles that come in so, the vehicles like fire trucks, ambulances and other mission essential vehicles don’t stay out of commission for longer than necessary. “We inspect, maintain and troubleshoot the fleet of the Air Force,” said Johnson. “We ensure that everyone else on base can do their job. Every group, squadron or flight relies on vehicles in one way or another, whether it be loading aircraft, fighting fires or transporting passengers.” Without the knowledge and skills of the Airmen of the vehicle management flight, operations on base could not continue. They keep the fleet going so the members can have the posture to prevail tomorrow and the fight to win today. “Our vehicle management flight plays a vital role in the operations on ASAB by ensuring fleet readiness,’ said Maj. Angela Petersen, commander of the 386th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron. “During this rotation the team has maintained a large and robust vehicle fleet and obtained 100% mission capable rates for several essential vehicles. Additionally, their quick reaction and customer service mantra has been pinnacle throughout the AOR for current operations and to our mission partners.”