386 AEW highlights partnership on Media Day

Published March 24, 2023
By Capt. Victoria Wright
386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

ALI AL SALEM AIR BASE, Kuwait --

The 386th Air Expeditionary Wing hosted a Media Day March 21, 2023 at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, highlighting how partnerships with Kuwait and coalition partners advances the base’s warfighter support and ability to project decisive combat power for a safe and stable Middle East.

Throughout the day, local Kuwaiti media outlets got to see firsthand how many mission sets within the 386th AEW intersect with Kuwait and coalition partners, and why these partnerships will continue to endure.

“Our partnership and dedication to Kuwait plus our coalition partners is evident throughout history, and you can see it continuing on the base today,” said U.S. Air Force Col. George Buch Jr., 386th AEW commander. “We strive to be an indispensable partner in the region and are continuously working to maximize regional capabilities and support in regards to mutual security concerns.”

U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Lawrence Buell, 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron , explains to Kuwait newspaper journalists what they are about to see during Media Day at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, March 21, 2023.

U.S. Air Force Maj. James Dunn, the 386th Expeditionary Contracting Squadron commander, briefs Kuwaiti newspaper journalists about the partnership the squadron has with local Kuwaiti vendors during Media Day at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, March 21, 2023.

Mr. Osama Diab and Ms. Mai Alsoukari, Kuwaiti newspaper journalists, pose for a photo outside the air traffic control tower during Media Day at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, March 21, 2023.

U.S. Air Force Maj. Jeremy Johnson and Maj. Maggie Wertz, 386th Expeditionary Medical Squadron physicians, explain how a splint works to Ms. Mai Alsoukari, a Kuwaiti newspaper journalist, before demonstrating how to use it during Media Day at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, March 21, 2023.

With roughly 30 years of partnership between the U.S. Air Force and Kuwait at AASAB, leadership wanted the country to see just how vital their support is to the installation and its ability to provide regional stability.

The wing is the U.S. Central Command’s logistical gateway, delivering thousands of coalition forces members and roughly 140-thousand tons of cargo to partners and coalition forces throughout the region every year.

“These deep and enduring relationships with allies and partners, the ones we have been cultivating for decades, allows us to succeed and distinguishes us from our adversaries,” added Buch. “These partnerships and teamwork are why we will win in any conflict.”