AWACS crews support Winter Olympics Published Feb. 26, 2010 By Brandice J. Armstrong Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Shaun White, Shani Davis and Lindsey Vonn are cleaning up at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. But, it's Tinker's AWACS crews that get the real kudos. They are protecting the Vancouver, British Columbia, skies. Aiding Canadian Air Defense Sector, the AWACS crews were dispatched to Vancouver just before the start of the Olympics and will remain through the duration. "While we do provide wartime capacity to support Operation Enduring Freedom, we're not just a wartime platform," said 1st Lt. Sara Six, 964th Airborne Air Control Squadron Public Affairs representative. "We provide support for all kinds of events." The AWACS personnel are flying sorties to provide additional radar coverage, which Lieutenant Six said is a typical mission. Specifically, the crews are looking for aircraft flying in restricted flight zones. The assignment came about when North American Aerospace Defense Command, a U.S. and Canadian organization that provides air protection and defense for the two countries, requested aid. "This is a big deal because it lets us show our support to our allies to the north," Lieutenant Six said. "It just reaffirms that partnership with Canada."