WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE — The 88th Air Base Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base will deploy approximately 120 airmen to Michigan to help with emergency vaccine administration.

At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), those 120 airmen will support a state-run, federally supported community vaccination center at Ford Field in Detroit, the Air Force said Wednesday.

The airmen, assigned to the 88th Medical Group, are part of the Department of Defense’s COVID-19 response operation Type Team 1. This team acts in a supporting role to FEMA and is overseen by U.S. Army North, U.S. Northern Command’s Joint Force Land Component Command (ARNORTH).

A Type 1 Team is capable of administering up to 6,000 vaccinations a day. According to FEMA CVC documents, a Type 1 Team includes hundreds of vaccinators, as well as registered nurses, EMTs, and command personnel.

“The 88th Air Base Wing is proud to contribute to the fight against COVID-19 to protect our fellow Americans,” said Col. Patrick Miller, 88th Air Base Wing and Installation commander. “Our Airmen are highly trained and are ready to take part of this very important mission to help save lives.”

FEMA community vaccination centers, or CVCs, are state-run, but federally supported, a Wright-Patt spokesperson said Wednesday. The Department of Defense has been assisting in these civilian vaccination clinics since February 2021, according to a release.

According to a statement made by ARNORTH, military personnel through this operation have administered 700,000 vaccinations to date.

The 88th Medical Group airmen will deploy at 8 a.m. Friday, March 19, joining approximately 2,900 others from the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy and Air Force already supporting the federal vaccination effort in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and in the U.S. Virgin islands.