Scott AFB unveils new Joint Operations & Mission Planning Center

Published May 29, 2026
By Karen Petitt
375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --

A new chapter in global mobility launched today with the official opening of the Joint Operations and Mission Planning Center, a facility designed to centralize the military's most critical transportation and flight planning operations under one roof.

Joint Operations & Mission Planning Center ribbon-cutting ceremony — Conducting ribbon-cutting honors were U.S. Air Force Gen. Randall Reed, United States Transportation Command commander, Ian Mitchell, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District engineering division chief, Lt. Gen. Rebecca Sonkiss, Air Mobility Command interim commander, and Brig. Gen. Michele Lo Bianco, 618th Air Operations Center commander, on Scott Air Force Base, May 29, 2026. The JOMPC houses both the U.S. Transportation Command’s flow element, the 618th Air Operations Center, and key elements of Air Mobility Command. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Juan Bejarano)

Completed after five years of construction at a cost of $110 million, the JOMPC consolidates nearly 1,000 personnel into a high-tech nerve center. The two-story, four-acre building streamlines the complex coordination required to move troops, fuel, and patients across the globe by co-housing U.S. Transportation Command’s Force Flow element, the 618th Air Operations Center, and key elements of Air Mobility Command, including its Air Intelligence Squadron.

Leaders from these organizations, along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District who oversaw the construction and turnover of the facility, participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony today to celebrate the successful completion and partnership of the effort.

Global mobility demands a united total force. This facility brings numerous military entities together under a single roof and provides additional information-sharing capacity to keep us aligned with fellow international and commercial professionals. It is through physical and professional unity that we will grow as one to project power and deliver hope.

U.S. Air Force Gen. Randall Reed, USTRANSCOM commander

Located in the building is USTRANSCOM’s Force Flow element, which serves as the strategic architect for the Department of War’s global transportation requirements. Whether by land, sea, or air, they determine what assets are required and the sequence in which they must arrive. This includes deconflicting crowded airfields, prioritizing time-critical aeromedical evacuations, and calculating the massive aerial refueling requirements needed to project combat power.

However, the largest footprint within the JOMPC belongs to the 618th Air Operations Center. If the Force Flow element is the master architect, the 618th AOC serves as its 24/7 dispatch center, directing a fleet of nearly 1,100 aircraft and delivering strategic airlift, air refueling, aeromedical evacuation and global air mobility support for operations around the world.

Joint Mission Operations and Mission Planning Center ribbon-cutting ceremony — Conducting ribbon-cutting honors were (from left) U.S. Air Force Gen. Randall Reed, United States Transportation Command commander, Ian Mitchell, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District engineering division chief, Lt. Gen. Rebecca Sonkiss, Air Mobility Command interim commander, and Brig. Gen. Michele Lo Bianco, 618th Air Operations Center commander. The new Joint Operations and Mission Planning Center officially opened at Scott Air Force Base, May 29, 2026. The center will support around-the-clock operations and strengthen the military's ability to plan, task, execute, and assess global air mobility missions. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman De’Quan Simmons)

Brig. Gen. Michele Lo Bianco, 618th AOC commander, shared, “Our mission to execute rapid global mobility never stops. We have a critical responsibility to command and control the deployment of air power to delivery lethality, hope, and freedom. The JOMPC will foster greater collaboration and improve our mission capabilities.”

During the ceremony, Lt. Gen. Rebecca Sonkiss, AMC interim commander, underscored the sheer magnitude of their operations.

“AMC is the maneuver for the Joint Force,” she said. “No unit understands this better than the 618th Air Operations Center. As the largest and busiest AOC in the Department of War, the 618th executes major combat operations across the globe. This team actively controls decisive mobility operations for over 1,000 aircraft across all seven continents. The AOC requires every single one of these advancements to properly plan, task, execute and assess global air mobility operation.”

To bring this facility to life, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, base civil engineers, and cyber specialists worked in lockstep to ensure the building met strict operational and security requirements.

Nolan Robben, USACE project engineer and contracting officer's representative, said, “One of the things we are most proud of isn’t a single visible feature, but the collective attention to detail that went into constructing a facility capable of supporting the warfighter’s mission. Much of the work that enables that mission—secure spaces, communications infrastructure, and the integration of complex building systems—will never be seen by the public, but it is essential to how the building operates.”

He also explained how this project required their team to navigate numerous technical challenges, evolving mission requirements, and significant design modifications during construction. Although the changes required careful coordination and some rework, he said the strong partnership among all stakeholders allowed the team to address the issue.

“The result is a fully compliant, secure facility that meets the updated mission requirements. Standing on site . . . and seeing the finished facility—knowing the challenges the team had worked through together—was an incredibly satisfying moment. More importantly, it represented the successful delivery of a building designed and constructed to carry out its mission and support the warfighters who will rely on it every day,” Robben said.