621 CRW inactivates its two Mobility Support Advisory Squadrons
The 621st Contingency Response Wing finished its process of inactivating its two Mobility Support Advisory Squadrons this month, with the 571 MSAS and 818 MSAS conducting their official inactivation ceremonies Sept. 10 and 22, 2026, respectively.
“Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Sarah Kaiser, 621st Air Mobility Advisory Group commander. “Our Air Advisors didn’t just execute missions—they shaped history, unlocked critical access, and built enduring trust where words often fell short. While these units are inactivating, their capability is not lost; these Airmen will disperse across the enterprise as proven force multipliers who will elevate every squadron they join.”
Both established in 2011, the specialized squadrons spent the last 15 years building partner capacity, deploying small, language-enabled teams of Air Advisors to train, advise, and assist foreign militaries aimed to meet geographic Combatant Commander objectives and inspire partner nations to view the U.S. as their partner of choice.
The 571 MSAS primarily focused on the U.S. Southern Command’s region, utilizing Spanish-speaking Airmen to bridge cultural and operational gaps in countries such as Belize, Columbia, Peru, Panama, Costa Rica, and Ecuador.
The 818 MSAS aligned its efforts in the U.S. Africa Command region, conducting extensive capacity-building engagements, employing primarily French-speaking Airmen to forge partnerships in nations like Mauritania, Niger, Chad and Djibouti.
Combined, the squadrons united Airmen from more than 30 career fields to train 600-plus air advisors, executing over 1,000 missions and engaging with 25,000 partners across 70 countries in the last decade and a half.
The concluding mission for the 571 MSAS involved Belize Defence Force members, who were previously trained by the unit, to lead training for members of the Costa Rican Public Force's Servicio de Vigilancia Aérea. This cemented the 571 MSAS’s goal of having partner nations become the trainers themselves, creating a multiplier force for the future without U.S. involvement.
“Serving as the final commander of the 571st Mobility Support Advisory Squadron has been one of the greatest honors of my career,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Justin Atwood, 571 MSAS’s concluding commander. “I am proud of how the Aguilas responded to the unit’s inactivation—with professionalism, purpose, and an unwavering commitment to our partners. Our legacy lies not simply in the training we delivered, but in what endured afterward: the judgment, relationships, and capacity our partners carried forward. Seeing Belizean partners train Costa Rican counterparts during our final mission captured air advising at its best: partners empowered to lead, sustain capability, and shape what comes next.”
The final act for the 818 MSAS saw Air Advisors bolster the longevity and capabilities of the Djiboutian Air Force’s Cessna 208 Caravan aircraft which they utilize in Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance missions to ‘burden share’ mutual security goals in a strategically critical region.
“The Djiboutian Air Force was exceptionally professional and a joy to work with,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Christina Norbygaard, 818 MSAS concluding commander. “It was an honor for us to play a part in strengthening that relationship. We will never be able to fight and win a war without our allies and partners. We are force multipliers. Not by technology or equipment, but by leveraging the military’s most important asset, the people."
"The formal structure of an Air Advisor squadron may be gone, but the mission will keep going," Norbygaard added. "The Air Force will need a strong bench to pull from, and having experienced team leaders like ours will be key.”
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