CSAF's Vector: Air Mobility's strategic impact Published June 5, 2007 By Gen. T. Michael Mosely Chief of Staff of the Air Force WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On 12 May 1949 the Soviet Union tacitly admitted defeat and lifted its blockade of Berlin, ceding the first major Cold War victory to U.S. air power. Although Airmen would continue to fly Berlin Airlift sorties until 30 September 1949, by December 1948 Soviet leader Joseph Stalin recognized his political failure. It was clear that the Airmen of the Berlin Airlift - who ultimately flew over 280,000 sorties and delivered over 4.6 billion pounds of cargo while feeding and fueling a city of 2.5 million people for fifteen long months - had prevailed. To this day, the Berlin Airlift remains the premier example of the strategically decisive impact mobility forces can - and do - have. It was the first major test of one of the newly independent U.S. Air Force's core competencies, and our mobility Airmen aced it. Two of the most recognizable Airmen heroes from the Berlin Airlift are Major General William H. Tunner and First Lieutenant Gail Halvorsen. Tunner - named to lead the Airlift by our second Air Force Chief of Staff, General Hoyt Vandenberg - is renowned for his brilliance, meticulous organization and visionary leadership. He's credited with the Airlift's machine-like precision, with cargo aircraft flying as close as three minutes apart in the crowded air corridors connecting West Germany with Berlin. He and his team took full advantage of technological advances that helped them push the limits of all-weather flights, and they optimized the "delivery end" of a worldwide logistics and supply chain that overcame countless challenges. Halvorsen, a young C-54 Skymaster pilot better known as the "Berlin Candy Bomber," ensured the Airlift would be loved and remembered by a generation of Berliners, delivering chewing gum and candy in handkerchief parachutes through his plane's flare chute. Tunner appreciated Halvorsen's initiative and encouraged its growth; it spread like wildfire. Today, our mobility Airmen and aircraft follow the examples Tunner and Halvorsen set nearly 60 years ago. They are visible and recognizable signs of U.S. compassion and unyielding resolve, helping deliver justice to our enemies and comfort to the suffering. Day or night, operating from pavement or dirt, our Airmen deliver the goods, the gas, and the warfighters beyond oceans, into hostile territory, and across the last tactical mile. On average our mobility Airmen now take off from a runway somewhere on the planet every 90 seconds. And rather than carrying 10 tons over 4,000 miles - a C-54's payload and range - each C-17 can now carry about 85 tons of cargo around the world with aerial refueling. These advances make today's Airmen even more capable of achieving significant impact across the spectrum of conflict. They fly over unsecured territory night after night to refuel strike aircraft. They drop millions of food rations to isolated indigenous populations or rapidly deliver massive amounts of life-saving aid in the wake of natural disasters around the globe. They resupply mobile units in nearly impossible to reach places with the remarkable Joint Precision Air Drop System's steerable parachutes and GPS guidance. They relieve nearly 3,500 vehicles and 9,000 convoy operators per month from having to travel treacherous Iraqi and Afghan roads. And they provide "Intensive Care in the Air" with Critical Care Air Transport Teams, bringing wounded warriors home into the arms of their families in record time. Range and payload are the heart and soul of air power; our mobility Airmen keep our heart beating and sustain our soul. The success of the Berlin Airlift is a reminder that air power is all about creating strategic effects. Our mobility Airmen provide unrivaled Global Reach for our nation's Joint Forces, reconfirming every day what they demonstrated during the Berlin Airlift: air mobility is an Air Force core competency, and a vital aspect of the way we fly, fight and win for our great nation