Action Line #80512 – Members on leave status Published July 1, 2008 By Anonymous 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey -- Complaint: I know Incirlik Air Base is a Turkish Air Base; however, would it be possible to investigate the possibility of opening up Incirlik to DoD personnel outside of Turkey who are on Leave status? I know a number of people who would like to visit Turkey via Air Mobility Command hops. The present policy does not allow for Leave status personnel to hop to Incirlik/Turkey. Opening the base to such personnel could be a win-win situation for the base and local economy in terms of the money they could bring in. Response: You raise an excellent issue, and I applaud your efforts to help DoD personnel visit our beautiful host nation. As you know, there are significant issues with travelling to Turkey via Space-A. Some of them (gate pass, for example) require preparatory work be done by someone here at Incirlik prior to arrival. With that in mind, I will consider exercising my waiver authority to allow close friends and family who are Space-A eligible to fly into Incirlik. However, as a condition for that approval, the visitor must have a permanent-party sponsor, who will accomplish the appropriate paperwork and take responsibility for the visitor. A friend/family request must be made via your chain of command, and the name of the sponsor clearly annotated. If the visitor arrives without the correct paperwork, it will be the sponsor's responsibility...I won't have our AMC team working overtime to fill out paperwork that should have been accomplished beforehand. In addition, it is imperative that gate-pass paperwork be submitted ASAP. As a final note, remember that billeting is never guaranteed; ensure the visitor has a back-up plan. Again, thank you for the Action Line. I believe our new policy will be a welcome benefit.