GULFPORT, MISSISSIPPI -- Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing are trained to be the first in and the last out of a deployed location.
Often times when the order comes to deploy to a location where there is little to know Air Force presence, the 621st CRW will take the lead and arrive at that location, establishing an entire aerial port hub capable of supporting mobility aircraft, cargo and troop movements in and out of the location. Once operations reach a sustained level, the 621st CRW hands over the reins to follow-on forces. It’s not a scenario that can be practiced regularly due to the complexity of working with multiple units and wings. However, those skills were honed during the 2017 Crisis Response exercise here March 1–10.
“We bridge the gap between no capabilities to having full-airlift capabilities,” said Maj. David Sustello, 621st Contingency Response Squadron and acting contingency response element commander for CR 17. “This is an excellent opportunity to move our personnel, because we want to do this like a real-life deployment.”
A CRE is a unique capability of the contingency response wing. It typically consists of a formidable contingent of up to 60 Airmen, who are uniquely qualified to provide around-the-clock command and control operations, aerial port operations and aircraft maintenance operations in austere environments.
CR17 affords CRW Airmen the opportunity to assess their ability to open shop, and then only return when the mission is complete – a unique focus to their training that provides real-world readiness, Sustello explained.
One of the biggest challenges Sustello noted was the transition of relinquishing responsibilities to the follow-on forces in a safe, efficient and expedited manner, and then also to retake control of those operations when it’s time for operations to shut down and redeploy.
“Instead of showing up and then closing up a few months later, we’re only here temporarily,” said Sustello. “We want to validate that we can make that smooth transition to the follow-on force.”
The 621st CRW's mission is to, "advise, direct, and project Airpower, delivering instruments of national power to the leading edge of global reach."
For the purposes of CR17, 621st CRW Airmen are advising, directing and projecting airpower by helping shape contingency response planning and executing air mobility operations alongside mission partners. Weaving the unique airpower capabilities of the 621st CRW, 305th Air Mobility Wing, 87th Air Base Wing and 514th AMW with the involvement of both active duty and reserve Airmen, adds not only a complexity to the CR17, but also realism.
According to Maj. Edwin Gaston, 621st Contingency Response Group and CRE commander, the CRW Airmen are working to manage airflow in and out of the location, command and control of multiple aircraft at the location, and handle cargo inspections and movements across the spectrum.
“This robust exercise allows us to train like we fight,” Gaston said.
With the first portion of the CRW mission in the books, CRW Airmen are embracing their exercise feedback and looking to constantly improve.
“Stress induces performance, and while we’re here, there’s no one telling us what and how to do our mission,” said Sustello. “My hope is that we can better learn our jobs, how they fit together and then we even learn our wingman’s job and how it fits together.”
The point of any exercise is to asses a unit’s readiness and capabilities, explained Sustello, but even more so, to learn from the feedback.
“Regardless of the feedback, we need to know how to do our mission,” said Sustello. “We’ll take it and impose it on ourselves, and hopefully we can grow stronger as a team, as a squadron and as a group.”