Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      U.S. Air Force Capt. Amber El-Amin, Joint Task Force-Bravo Operations Medical Planner, and Senior Airman Synethia Robinson, JTF-Bravo medical operations noncommissioned-officer-in-charge, pose behind a 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment CH-47 Chinook helicopter July 25, 2016 at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras. The aircraft is being loaded in preparation for a Medical Readiness Exercise mission in the Colón department of Honduras. The duo spends approximately 180-200 hours over 12 weeks preparing for each MEDRETE - events that have been the backbone of JTF-Bravo’s humanitarian mission in Central America for the past 23 years and have touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, built partner nation capacity and fostered goodwill towards the U.S. in the region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Siuta B. Ika)AF duo key to Army medical aid in Honduras
                        
                        
                        Capt. Amber El-Amin, a Joint Task Force-Bravo operations medical planner, and Senior Airman Synethia Robinson, the JTF-Bravo medical operations NCO in charge, stand in front of a CH-47 Chinook July 25, 2016, at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras. El-Amin and Robinson play a vital role in the joint operations planning process for JTF-Bravo missions. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Siuta B. Ika)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        U.S. Air Force Capt. Amber El-Amin, Joint Task Force-Bravo Operations Medical Planner, and Senior Airman Synethia Robinson, JTF-Bravo medical operations noncommissioned-officer-in-charge, help load equipment into a 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment CH-47 Chinook helicopter July 25, 2016 at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras. The aircraft is being loaded in preparation for a Medical Readiness Exercise mission in the Colón department of Honduras. The two Airmen play a vital role in the Joint Operations Planning Process - a process that includes building concepts of operation; synchronizing and de-conflicting all logistical and support elements; scheduling and leading meetings and rehearsal of concept drills; ensuring all mission personnel, to include Honduran employees, have all appropriate passport and country clearances; and that all personnel and equipment are manifested and ready for transport to MEDRETE locations throughout Central America.AF duo key to Army medical aid in Honduras
                        
                        
                        Capt. Amber El-Amin, a Joint Task Force-Bravo operations medical planner, and Senior Airman Synethia Robinson, the JTF-Bravo medical operations NCO in charge, help load equipment into a CH-47 Chinook helicopter July 25, 2016 at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras. El-Amin and Robinson play a vital role in the joint operations planning process for JTF-Bravo missions. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Siuta B. Ika)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

AF duo key to Army medical aid in HondurasPublished Aug. 3, 2016
                    
                    By Capt. David Liapis
                    
                    
                    Joint Task Force-Bravo Public Affairs
            **SOTO CANO AIR BASE, Honduras (AFNS) --**Medical readiness training exercises (MEDRETE), military partnership engagements and mobile surgical team (MST) deployments have been the backbone of Joint Task Force-Bravo’s humanitarian mission in Central America for the past 23 years and have touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, built partner nation capacity and fostered goodwill toward the U.S. in the region. These missions are almost completely run and supported by the Army -- almost.Behind missions conducted by Army medical personnel using Army helicopters for transportation and security provided by Army military police, there are two Airmen who bring more than just the token “joint forces” label to these important operations.  Air Force Capt. Amber El-Amin, a JTF-Bravo operations medical planner, and Senior Airman Synethia Robinson, the JTF-Bravo medical operations NCO in charge, play a vital role in the joint operations planning process. The process includes building concepts of operation; synchronizing and de-conflicting all logistics and support elements; scheduling and leading meetings and rehearsal of concept drills; ensuring all mission personnel, to include Honduran employees, possess all appropriate passport and country clearances; and that all personnel and equipment are manifested and ready for transport on the 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment helicopters.“This job is nothing like we do back home,” said El-Amin, who is deployed here from the 60th Medical Support Squadron at Travis Air Force Base, California. “My specialty match is medical logistics, and I've spent majority of my time in that field. Here though, I'm really a project manager, and there are a lot of moving pieces and units to synchronize for a mission.”That part of the puzzle is where Robinson, a health services management specialist deployed here from the 23rd MDSS at Moody AFB, Georgia, comes in.“It's very easy to drop a ball; thus, Senior Airman Robinson and I have to make sure that we're always on top of it,” El-Amin said. “She's been doing a great job here, and I couldn't do any of this without her.”Joint environments are by no means new or unique, but they can present distinct challenges to those experiencing them for the first time.“I volunteered to come and be a part of the mission here at JTF-(Bravo),” Robinson said. “This is my first deployment, and so far I have been amazed at how much I have learned and adapted to working with our sister services.” In addition to training exercises, El-Amin and Robinson also plan for JTF-Bravo involvement in Honduran-led military partnership engagements, which are very similar to the training exercises but are conducted by the host nation. “We have to conduct a reconnaissance for each mission, which means we’re essentially planning two major events per mission,” El-Amin said. “So really, we’re planning six separate missions every month with their own transportation, manifests, security, funding and everything else that makes a mission successful.” The duo spends approximately 180-200 hours over 12 weeks preparing for each training exercise, military partnership engagements and MST, and sometimes more if the mission is outside Honduras. While the majority of past missions have been in Honduras, JTF-Bravo is working with U.S. Embassy country teams and ministries of health in the other Central American nations to conduct exercises within their borders.El-Amin and Robinson were heavily involved in the planning and execution of recent MEDRETEs in Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras; however, they rarely get to see firsthand the impact of what they do.“We’re behind the scenes and generally don’t go on the missions,” El-Amin said. “I did get to go visit one MEDRETE when I first arrived. I could see the excitement of the people as the helicopters came in to land, and I got to walk through the entire process. It was really amazing to see what our team does.” There have been more than 300 MEDRETEs conducted, and JTF-Bravo MEDEL personnel have treated more than 326,000 medical patients and 69,670 dental patients since October 1993. An average operation allows more than 1,000 people living in remote, austere environments to receive medical, dental and preventive medical care.“It's been busy and we've had a steep learning curve, but it's rewarding,” El-Amin said. “There’s a lot that goes into these missions, but each month we provide humanitarian assistance to thousands of people. It’s an honor to play such an important part in the JTF-Bravo mission.”12th Air Force 



honduras 



Soto Cano AB 



medical 



AFSOUTH

Related Links
        JTF-Bravo Medical Element performs first cross-border MEDRETE to help those in need
                                May 5, 2016
                                Service members from the Joint Task Force-Bravo Medical Element traveled to the western region of Honduras and eastern Guatemala to partner with the two nations' Armies and Ministries of Health for a two-day Medical Readiness Training Exercise, in the rural communities of Ostumán in Copán, Honduras, Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fight
                    
                    SecAF Kendall AFA Warfare Symposium Q&A: Reoptimizing for Great Power CompetitionInnovation
                AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalists
                    
                    Chief Digital, Artificial Intelligence Office to host hackathon in HawaiiMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil