Mattermost enables mission success in Operation Allies Refuge

In August 2021, Air Mobility Command (AMC) led Operation Allies Refuge (OAR) — the most complex airlift operation in U.S. history. In just 17 days, more than 124,000 American citizens, allies, and vulnerable Afghans were evacuated from Afghanistan.

Mattermost’s performance during Operation Allies Refuge (OAR) highlighted how the collaboration platform contributed to increased Airmen success:

• Faster access to Aircrew Departure Papers using Mattermost resulted in more on-time departures and 1,453 digital mission paper requests analyzed.
• 79.5% of USAF personnel reported Mattermost enhanced their ability to operate.
• 93% of Mattermost users said they would recommend the platform.
• Without Mattermost, 64% of aircrew would have used unsecured cell phones to manage essential communications.

An Operation Defined by Urgency

According to research published by the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), OAR was the first known widespread instance of asynchronous communication to conduct tactical command and control (C2) within AMC.

Prior to the operation, AMC communications implemented traditional reliance on telephones, radios, and physical exchange of printed mission paperwork, ultimately straining the pace of operations. Crews lacked timely access to ADPs — flight plans, weather, routing — while command posts struggled to manage overloaded phone lines. Unofficial communication tools like WhatsApp and Signal often filled the gap, raising security concerns and introducing the potential for data spillage.

Mattermost Improved Information Access in High-Stakes Environments

To close these gaps and accelerate the operation, AMC leveraged Mattermost, a secure, Government-hosted collaboration platform approved for controlled unclassified information (CUI). Built on open-source code and deployed via DoD Platform One, Mattermost enabled secure, reliable collaboration capabilities, including:

• Electronic ADP delivery direct to crew-issued iPads;
• Asynchronous and synchronous chat in a single system; and
• Access beyond AFNet, bridging crews at the tactical edge with centralized command and control.

Accelerated Access to Mission Data

Airmen used Mattermost to request and receive ADPs much earlier than previous paper-based processes allowed. In nearly half of all missions (48%), aircrews accessed their ADPs more than four hours before takeoff — giving them critical time to prepare. In a small but decisive number of cases, crews requested flight plans less than an hour before takeoff, something only possible with electronic delivery.

A regression analysis of 1,453 digital ADP requests made as part of OAR found a strong positive correlation between early ADP access via Mattermost and on-time departures. The optimal request window — about 4.4 hours before takeoff — aligned closely with standard crew alert timelines, unlocking efficiency without operational disruption.

Trusted by Operators at the Tactical Edge

The strongest validation of Mattermost’s impact on the OAR outcome came from the Airmen using the system under the pressure of an active operation:

• 79.5% of personnel said Mattermost enhanced their ability to operate during OAR, citing faster access to mission papers, streamlined communication, and expedited situational awareness.
• 93% of respondents said they would recommend the Mattermost platform to others, with an average rating of 8.5 out of 10. Nearly 60% were “very likely” to recommend it, scoring it a 9 or 10.
• Without Mattermost, 64% of aircrew indicated they would have defaulted to personal cell phones — a method less secure, less reliable, and often discouraged for operational use.
• 93% of respondents said they would recommend Mattermost to others, with an average rating of 8.5 out of 10.

Additional successful performance indicators from survey feedback included:

• Aircrews considered the ability to securely access ADPs while en route to the aircraft as “a game-changer.”
• Flight managers valued the ability to cut through busy phone lines and push updates digitally.
• Multiple respondents explicitly called for AMC to make Mattermost the primary method for ADP delivery going forward, underscoring its operational credibility.

Prepared for the Future of Mission Operations Collaboration

OAR proved that secure, asynchronous collaboration can change mission outcomes. Mattermost bridged the gap between command centers and the tactical edge, giving aircrews earlier access to critical mission data, accelerating departure timelines, and reducing reliance on insecure apps.

Just as importantly, its Government-hosted deployment preserved data sovereignty and provided a foundation for future AI-enabled decision support, as structured digital text is more readily mined than voice calls.

Learn more

For a closer look at real-world applications of Mattermost across the DoD, read more about how AMC leveraged Mattermost to conduct the largest global readiness exercise in history with Mobility Guardian 2023, and how Platform One uses Mattermost to streamline cross-organization communication securely. Learn more about Mattermost Enterprise Advanced, Mattermost’s latest product designed specifically for complex, high-security multi-domain operations.

For more information on Operations Allied Refuge and how Command and Control is evolving in the digital age, refer to this paper published by the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT).

Image: A U.S. Air Force Airman waits to taxi a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft for departure during Operation Allies Refuge at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Aug. 27, 2021. Source.

The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.