Exercise has ‘wing at war’

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. David Thoreson
  • 944th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Reservists laying on the ground with very realistic looking “wounds” courtesy of expert moulage, emergency vehicles descending on the play area, lights flashing, sirens wailing, eye contact and communication between coworkers wearing full chemical warfare mask and hood provided as realistic training as possible within the safe confines of Luke Air Force Base. These were the exercise images viewed by all wing members during the August drill weekend.

Demands of the Global War on Terrorism contributed to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force proclamation that all Air Force members are considered deployable assets. Wing members are volunteering and deploying to Iraq in greater numbers. The Operational Readiness Inspection is rapidly approaching. Timing could not have been better to conduct two different and distinct response training exercises: Major Accident Response Exercise and Full Spectrum Threat Exercise.

The first exercise simulated the aftermath of a common terrorist tactic, a suicide bomber. Initial actions and response were the primary objectives in this exercise. “All objectives were met and overall the wing exceeded expectations,” said Col. Thomas Harwood, 944th Fighter Wing vice commander and exercise project officer. Initial actions required included building evacuation, self aid and buddy care and personnel accountability. Response was provided by fire department, security forces and explosive ordnance disposal personnel.

“Thank you for your hard work in this first step toward achieving full readiness for our entire wing,” Colonel Harwood said. 

The exercises are a good opportunity for wing members to learn tactics using carefully planned scenarios.

“A great many of us will be in situations in our careers where the importance of properly being able to take cover during an attack or recover afterwards is clearly evident,” said Col. Derek Rydholm, 944th Fighter Wing commander, addressing the realism of the exercise.

A Spectrum Threat Response Exercise on Sunday provided the opportunity to assess condition and availability of Wing chemical warfare gear and how well members could respond to changing alarm and Mission Oriented Protective Postures. Again, both Colonels Rydholm and Harwood agreed that overall goals and expectations were both met and in many cases exceeded.

“Although far from perfect, everyone displayed a sense of urgency and did well considering how long it has been since we last exercised in this fashion,” said Colonel Rydholm.

“I was very pleased with the efforts displayed by our wing members during both the Major Accident and Full Spectrum Threat Response exercises. Considering how many of our people had not participated in something like this in the past, I was very proud of them. In particular on Sunday morning, the sense of urgency was noted all throughout the Wing and it was evident that a lot of training had been done to prepare for the exercise.”

“The MARE took a lot of people by surprise and was an extremely difficult scenario. It was a great learning opportunity for both our wing and the host base 56th Fighter Wing. We can anticipate a similar scenario to occur during our ORI in October. I am a firm believer that if the IG team sees a wing with a great attitude and sense of urgency when they inspect us that it will count for a lot in the inspection. I saw many examples of this over the weekend and was very pleased. Obviously, we have a lot of room for improvement, but this was a great start,” Colonel Rydholm said.