On endless roads, the fixed horizon changes as time and distance pass by. Logistics never stop; they flow through every operation with a pulse.

Innovative Readiness Training is a Department of Defense program that delivers Joint Force training to service members and incidental benefits to American communities. IRT’s vision is a secure and prosperous America supported by strong civil-military relations. And at the heart of it all is the Consolidated Asset Management Site located at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio.

“CAMS is one of the biggest cogs in the wheel for IRT in my opinion,” said Master Sgt. Daniel Payne, the CAMS warehouse manager for IRT. “Without their equipment, these missions can’t operate.”

In the midst of the COVID crisis, CAMS was brought to Youngstown ARS in August of 2021 under the steady hand of Maj. Tina Hannasch, the commander of the 910th Logistics Readiness Squadron at the time.

Originally functioning out of Grissom Air Reserve Base, Indiana, their facilities became inadequate with the growth of CAMS. Youngstown’s electronic slide opal storage units, climate-controlled warehouse, securable Conex yard and easy access to the interstate system made it a suitable replacement.

“Once I got into CAMS and IRT I saw that it was a way to help others and that’s why I like it so much,” said Payne. “It’s not a humanitarian mission, it’s a training program but it in turn helps a lot of people, and I have to thank my wife and kids for putting up with me being on the road quite a bit.”

CAMS circulates millions of dollars’ worth of military equipment across the United States and its territories, transporting critical resources for Joint Force medical and civil engineer training.

“From Idaho to upper New York, down to Louisiana and everywhere in between we’ve either been, are going, or there’s talks of us going,” said Senior Airman Aaron Razayeski, a ground transportation specialist for CAMS. “There’s really no way to describe it, it’s always something different and it’s always a new adventure.”

All CAMS equipment and supplies are military-owned and kept up by an existing DoD budget. The basic health care or civil projects provided at no cost to the communities that qualify for IRT training are paid for by Americans for Americans through taxes as a mutually beneficial byproduct of training medics and engineers for future conflicts or natural disasters.

“Everybody has a gift and you’re supposed to use that gift to help others,” said Payne. “We have to be good stewards of what we’ve been given at CAMS as we store about 17 million dollars’ worth of equipment, and to replace it is even more expensive.”

Under the Air Force Reserve Command’s care, CAMS is slated to operate out of Youngstown ARS for at least seven years according to Payne, who hopes to keep it there longer as he believes it’s not only a good training program for medical and civil engineering but also a good training program for ground transportation and vehicle maintenance members.

(Tancer is assigned to the 910th Airlift Wing public affairs office.)