OUR HISTORY

In 1994 McChord was selected as the new home for the Rodeo hosing the event in 1994, 1996, and 1998. The 2000 Air Mobility Rodeo was held at Pope AFB NC during the 62d AW conversion the C-17. More than 80 aircraft representing over 100 teams from 17 countries, along with 3,500 competitors, observers, umpires, and support personnel attended the 2000 edition of the Rodeo at Pope. The 2000 rodeo was the last for the C-141, it would be phased out of service a year later, McChord's 446th AW would capture the last C-141 Top Team Trophy.

Following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, leaders of AMC and U.S. Transportation Command, cancelled the following Rodeo Competitions because the significant increase in the operations tempo from AMC's support for the war on terrorism. Despite its furious pace, AMC deemed the international event too important to let it wither away, and after five years off, the Command decided to resume the competition in 2005 at McChord.

Rodeo 2005 showed the Air Force had to do a better job spreading best practices and reworking training. “What we discovered ... was that we had a vast number of TTPs — tactics, techniques and procedures — that units had improved on and not shared,” Gray said. The competitions among aircrews, aerial port squadrons, maintainers and airdrop crews revealed who was the best and what made them the best, Gray said. It also showed that AMC was not training the way it was fighting, he said.

In 2007 Rodeo returned to McChord with mobility units from across the U.S. Armed services, 12 international competing teams with 13 others sending observers. In a show of the Air Force's "Total Force" concept, a blended team from the 305th and 514th Air Mobility Wings from McGuire AFB flying the C-17 Globemaster,  was the first base ever to send a team comprised of both Reserve and active duty members in one aircraft.

The 2007 edition of Rodeo saw more emphasis being put on airmen’s physical fitness and their ability to physically engage an enemy - two themes promoted by Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley.

Rodeo 2007 included a team fitness competition that dwarfed the previous one. The last Rodeo “was the first time we put ‘Fit to Fight’ - that’s the chief’s PT (physical training) program - in there and made it a formal part of the competition,” said Maj. Gen. David “Scott” Gray, commander of the Air Mobility Warfare Center and Rodeo 2007 commander. “What we found out was that ‘Fit to Fight,’ (which is) sort of a precursor to ‘fight the base,’ actually influenced the outcome of who took home trophies last year.” “Fight the base” refers to the Air Force’s plan to train all airmen to defend their work stations, regardless of their job specialty.

General Gray also noted With Rodeo 2007, he said, “we’re hoping to come back ... and find out if the TTPs (tactics, techniques, and procedures) we learned [in 2005] got disseminated and are we better now than we were two years ago.” In addition, security forces airmen vied for trophies awarded to the best combat-weapons and combat-tactics teams. Aeromedical contingency flight crews participated in a medical-evacuation event.

Major General David "Scott" Gray, Rodeo 2007 commander said lessons learned justify Rodeo, which will cost about $2.2 million, down from $2.5 million in 2005.

On July 19, 2009, more than 2,500 service members from around the Air Force and the globe gathered at McChord AFB to officially kick off the 2009 Air Mobility Rodeo, which ran to through July 24. Rodeo 2009 featured more than 100 teams, including ones from the Air Force Reserve, the Air National Guard, as well as 25 international partners the allied nations including Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, Spain, Malaysia, Israel, the Republic of Korea, and Turkey. 

"The involvement of our partner nations elevates the Rodeo to a world-class competition," General Lichte said. "It's really a total force effort on display."  "There may be 16 trophies up for grabs, but we all will win by making things better together,"  "that's what the Rodeo is all about." he said

In all, there were more than 50 competitions, each of which is designed to showcase the abilities of mobility Airmen around the Air Force."But the Rodeo isn't just about competition. The event is also a way for Airmen to share ideas and learn from each other. In the closing ceremony celebration on July 24, 74 awards were announced to the competing teams. Among the different categories was the Best Air Mobility Team, or "Best of the Best," a trophy that was won by McChord's 62nd Airlift Wing.

n July 19, 2009 more than 2,500 service members from around the Air Force and the globe gathered  at McChord AFB to officially kick off the week long 2009 Air Mobility Rodeo,  featuring more than 100 teams, including ones from the Air Force Reserve, the Air National Guard  as well as 25 international partners the allied nations including Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, Spain, Malaysia, Israel, the Republic of Korea and Turkey. 

"The involvement of our partner nations elevates the Rodeo to a world-class competition," General Lichte said. "It's really a total force effort on display."  "There may be 16 trophies up for grabs, but we all will win by making things better together," he said. "And that's what the Rodeo is all about. In all, there were more than 50 competitions, each of which is designed to showcase the abilities of mobility Airmen around the Air Force. But the Rodeo isn't just about competition. The event is also a way for Airmen to share ideas and learn from each other. In the closing ceremony celebration on July 24, 74 awards were announced to the competing teams. Among the different categories was the Best Air Mobility Team, or "Best of the Best," which went to McChord's 62nd Airlift Wing.

Two symposiums for the worldwide airlift community had been organized to be held the week before the start of Rodeo 2011, one concentrating on aeromedical evacuation the other discussing airdrop tactics.

In the International Aeromedical Evacuation/En Route Care Conference held on July 20 & 21, hundreds of aeromedical evacuation professionals gathered for the first-ever, U.S.-led international symposium on in-flight medical care.  The conference featured speakers from a variety of countries sharing stories, advice and lessons learned with hundreds of fellow doctors, nurses, paramedics and medical specialists. event Over  28 nations to attended this truly international event.

In the International Airdrop Symposium (held July 19 thru 20), Mobility airmen from 26 countries  exchanged tactics, techniques and ideas on conducting airdrops ,hear briefings on the future of airdrop, International participants, to include partners from Canada, Columbia, Japan and Australia, will also share their techniques on airdrops.

"This symposium is important to build international partnerships in the airdrop and airlift communities,"  said Maj. Patrick Linson,  Combat tactics instructor in the joint Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center, who served as the symposiums chairperson. Linson continued , "For this symposium, our goal is to have all of our international partners participating to share their ideas and techniques for us all to learn to complete airdrops even better. Sharing these techniques is naturally beneficial to all involved."