Wing exercise ensures mission readiness

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Marissa Tucker
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  The 4th Fighter Wing underwent a phase two operational readiness exercise here Dec. 7-11, enlightening Airmen on how to survive and operate under enemy attack while in a hostile environment.

The exercise included Airmen and civilians from almost every unit on base and spanned from the front gate to the flight line, said Maj. Norman Vuchetich, chief of exercises and inspections.

"We designed the events around the flight schedule," he said. "The entire base was involved as we created a building block-style training environment to test our Airmen's ability to do contingencies with a graduated approach."

Educating Airmen on areas such as manning entry control points, self-aid and buddy care, and mission-oriented protective posture levels involved many subject matter experts, who were part of the exercise evaluation team.

"The EET acted as referees of sorts to provide the exercise injects, act as safety monitors and produce the training in a timely manner," Major Vuchetich said. "Their presence made the scenarios more realistic, as the team provided the props and people, so the Airmen could physically see what they needed to do as opposed to simulating it. They were a key part of the exercise."

Taking one out of his or her normal duty or job area and putting him in a different capacity gives Airmen a chance to put training to use and remain fluent on procedures that may have been forgotten.

"It is very important to be current on training," said Chief Master Sgt. Calvin Shoulders, 4th Logistics Readiness Squadron chief enlisted manager. "In today's environment and operations tempo, everyone needs to ensure they are equipped to survive, because we never know what can happen. In deployed locations, the possibility of attacks is even greater, and being prepared will be the difference between life and death."

Building Base X was no easy task as Airmen from the 4th Mission Support Group, 4th Medical Group and 4th FW Plans and Evaluation office devised the plan to accommodate more than 1,000 people for three days including food, porta-johns, heat, lights and other necessities.

From designated bus routes and stops to a consolidated transition area, there was nothing left to chance. Airmen used their common sense and skills to navigate scenarios created by EET members. The situations evaluated the ability of Airmen to think quickly in unusual and critical situations.

"It's a better training environment than basic (training) because it is more hands-on where we can show what we know," said Airman 1st Class Brandy Ross, 4th Communications Squadron client support apprentice. "The EET team and our non-commissioned officers always offered us advice when we did not know something, so we knew we were here to improve on our training and not just be penalized for not knowing something."

The base participated in the exercise to prepare for an upcoming operational readiness inspection early next year, which will be administered by Air Combat Command officials.

"The upcoming inspection will evaluate the wing on its ability to deploy from Seymour Johnson to Base X, meaning any hostile environment," Major Vuchetich said. "It will also evaluate how we transition from a peacetime posture to a war environment."