EGLIN RANGE, Fla. —
Citizen Air Commandos took to the air, traversed the bottom and braved tough water throughout a readiness train on the Emerald Coast Aug. 5-9, 2024.
Specialties throughout the 919th Particular Operations Wing fought brutal summer time warmth, logistical challenges, and terrain throughout a spread of eventualities they may encounter in a future combat.
“There have been numerous shifting components to this twin hat train and a considerable quantity of planning that went in to creating it occur,” mentioned Maj. David Hornsby, 711th Particular Operations Squadron chief of coaching. “It highlighted some areas by which the Wing did very well, and some in which there’s some room for enchancment.”
Responding to eventualities that demanded an environment friendly and arranged response for a notional nation amid chaos and upheaval required distinctive planning and logistics throughout quite a few capabilities.
These challenges allowed the wing to finish the required certification of their Particular Operations Process Group and a Particular Operations Process Unit within the simulated response.
The SOTG functioned because the command part of the response, tasking the SOTUs with offering particular capabilities to assist mitigate the continued disaster. The 859th Particular Operations Squadron utilized the C-146 A Wolfhound to maneuver two Particular Operations Mission Sustainment Staff (SOMST) parts and their tools between airfields.
SOMST members used the train to refine their skillsets, tools, and procedures. Challenges akin to warmth and coordinating profession specialties offered perception on the way to additional develop sustainment capabilities.
“It was essential for us to have this built-in help crew thrown into an unfamiliar setting collectively,” mentioned Tech. Sgt. Michael O’Callaghan, 919th Particular Operations Safety Forces Squadron useful resource and coaching supervisor. “In a real-world situation they would want to mix their expertise in less-than-perfect circumstances to perform the mission.”
Sustainment Airmen narrowed down their footprint by lowering the scale and scope of kit, using moveable gadgets that could possibly be hand-carried. They opted for tents, air conditioners, and different instruments which are smaller than what would historically be used and occupied much less area on the plane.
“We’re pressurizing the system to see the place we are able to enhance. We had been in a position to determine wanted enhancements to our SOMST group, coaching, and tools that can assist form the potential shifting ahead,” mentioned Col. Olivia Nelson, 919th Particular Operations Mission Help Group commander. “Maybe most significantly, we leaned into the climate and gave our Airmen an opportunity to expertise what deployment within the warmth and humidity of the INDOPACOM theater would actually be like. We recognized the necessity for larger ranges of private health and an emphasis on hydration and work-rest cycles that can make us extra prepared if known as upon to face a peer menace.”
The mission help Airmen stayed in-place in a single day all through the train. Controller Observers from all through the Wing positioned them in quite a lot of eventualities after which assessed the effectiveness of their response. A number of the conditions Airmen confronted included unrest exterior the compound, medical emergencies, and engagements with regional media.
“The crew dealt with all the things from small inconveniences like coping with customs to bigger issues like medical crises,” mentioned O’Callaghan. “The differing ranges of issue and engagement challenged them and inspired them to be aware of how they take care of adversity.”
Whereas the SOMST maintained their encampments, the SOTU aviators additionally confronted challenges that would parallel real-world eventualities. A simulated plane down left 4 aircrew members stranded aboard a raft within the Choctawhatchee Bay.
A C-146A Wolfhound crew coordinated rescue of the castaways with the U.S. Coast Guard. The crew surveyed the bay to supply particulars on the rafts location and maintained communications between the raft and the Coast Guard vessel.
By the top of the train, the 919th SOW efficiently accomplished varied facets of Air Pressure Particular Operations Command warfighting mannequin. Organizers coordinated the SOTG, SOTU and mission help parts in a means that could possibly be mirrored in real-world eventualities.
“The quantity of labor and time that went into all of the unseen parts of the planning of this train, going again months, was important,” mentioned Hornsby. “Everybody on the planning cell did a commendable job. The [exercise] was profitable and offered a superb bellwether as to the place the wing’s fight functionality at present stands. It ought to assist to supply the command a very good route by which to maneuver ahead.”
By Workers Sgt Dylan Gentile, 919th Particular Operations Wing
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