shortly after the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and weeks before the first u.s. bomb was dropped over afghanistan, the air force established air bridges to help funnel material and personnel overseas to support multiple operations in conjunction with enduring freedom. air national guard tanker units received orders by 20 september 2001, to be in their deployed locations before the start of their air bridge operations. some ang tanker units also flew humanitarian support missions. by using european bases, the air force could transfer cargo from the larger aircraft to smaller planes, refuel aircraft on the ground, exchange flight crews, give crews rest opportunities, and repair broken aircraft.