Action Line #81122– Deploying through Germany

  • Published
  • By Anonymous
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  

Complaint: 

I am deploying very soon. I received my itinerary showing my route of travel going to Germany to sit for a week before coming back to Incirlik and then on to the AOR. I will have a two hour layover once arriving back here.

Although I will enjoy the free week long vacation to Germany, this trip appears to be a waste of government funding. If I did have family here, this would also be an extra week taken from them. Why is the government spending approximately $1,000 for Per Diem instead of allowing me to stay here for that week? When the rotator arrives here during the two-hour layover, why could I not get on it then?

With our efforts to save money, conserve energy, and the implementation of AFSO21, this travel seems like an unnecessary expenditure. I realize there may be a MAJCOM or other policy in place stating every deployer is required to travel through Germany or something of the like. Whatever the cause, could it not be readdress to potentially reduce government spending, work time lost and additional family hardships?

Response: 

A good question and one that I asked, too.

Bottom line--Turkish law prohibits any US military member from deploying to the USCENTCOM AOR directly from Turkey. Therefore, members must use an alternate Port of Embarkation (POE) to reach his or her final destination. Most Incirlik deployers are coded to begin their transportation at Incirlik (origin), fly to Ramstein (Port of Embarkation), and continue movement into the AOR (Destination).

Turkish law also prohibits U.S. military members from traveling commercially with weapons. So, when we send you to Germany, it must be on military or military contracted airlift. That's obviously limited, and the schedule is sometimes inconvenient (requiring a week 'vacation' in Germany).

Once you arrive in Germany, you will terminate the first leg of your travel. This means that you will be manifested on the rotator from Ramstein and designated as a Ramstein passenger. When you have your layover in Incirlik, you will be considered a transient Ramstein passenger, and will not be subject to the Turkish law prohibiting direct deployment from Turkey. Again, Turkish law does not allow a deploying passenger to be manifested and board a rotator in Turkey directly bound for a downrange destination.

While this does incur additional cost and added time away from families, it is an unavoidable step in the deployment process here at Incirlik.