TOWNSVILLE, QSD, Australia -On Aug. 19, more than 150 U.S. Air Force airmen and Army soldiers from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, alerted and loaded onto four C-17 Globemaster IIIs, departing for their final destination ... Royal Australian Air Force Base Townsville, Queensland, Australia.

Within hours of the alert, each C-17 was loaded with various types of equipment, along with the service members who use and maintain it and took off for the beginning of more than 40 hours of continuous flight.

Along the way, the aircraft stopped only to refuel and pick up additional service members for the journey.

Operation KENNEY'S RETURN has officially begun.

"For the past week, our main role was to execute a four-ship flight from home station out to Australia and then upon arrival, explode into theater by keeping all four engines running for all aircraft," said U.S. Air Force Capt. Heath Reichenbach, 7th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron mission planning cell chief. "We absolutely succeeded in our first goal of generating and reaching our destination. While we were in the air, we also planned an entire tactical scenario for our arrival."

Despite numerous challenges, Reichenbach explained that executing the Explodeo portion of the operation upon arrival in Australia underscores the flexibility and adaptability of the new 7th EAS as a Mission Generation Force Element.

The 7th EAS is comprised of members from the 62d Airlift Wing, 627th Air Base Group, 621st Contingency Response Wing, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., 15th Wing, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, and U.S. Army I Corps.

"Our objective was to explode into the Australian theater, and we absolutely accomplished that," said Reichenbach. "It was facilitated by a six-member team separated between two jets who planned and briefed the crews mid-flight on the tactical scenario. We worked throughout the entire flight to demonstrate our ability to react and succeed in our operations. Additionally, we kept our engines running for over 40 hours, executing the maximum endurance operations we could, thanks to the fantastic dedication and expertise from our flying crew chiefs."

Reichenbach further explained how the entire maintenance team ensured the aircraft were working throughout the entire 40-hour scenario and upon arrival in Australia.

"It's not normal to keep those engines running for that long of a time," said Reichenbach. "It's not normal for everyone to fly for such a long time and then immediately jump into operations. This has never been done before and that's why it's such a big deal. I am incredibly proud of the whole team for having such sharp execution coming into RAAF Townsville."

OKR will involve Joint and Coalition forces, with representatives from Pacific Air Forces, United States Transportation Command Joint Communication Service Element, and the Royal Australian Air Force and Army.  

"Arriving into RAAF Townsville was fantastic," said Reichenbach. "The Australians are excellent hosts and are extremely accommodating. The base has everything we need to operate and meet our objectives. We are able to fly multiple objectives, do multiple tactical scenarios in an incredibly short amount of time with an incredibly short amount of preparation, all thanks to our amazing Australian hosts. We want to learn from them and they want to learn from us. OKR is far and away the best exercise to prepare us for the future."

Reichenbach continued by stating that from the mission planning and air crew perspective, he appreciates the constant support from leadership at all levels. He stated that this entire operation is about challenging ourselves, succeeding in the mission objectives, striving for situational awareness, and seeking integration whenever possible.

"Being here is incredibly rewarding and we are meeting our command intent," said Reichenbach. "We have had a military relationship with the Australians for over 100 years and this operation is another part of that combined resolve. I'm just so proud to be here for this particular moment in history."