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Specialized Air Force unit "adapts and overcomes" during deployment exercise

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Dustin Doyle
  • 621st Contingency Response Wing Public Affairs
MCGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J. --  More than 90 Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing were tested on their "ability to survive and operate", or ATSO, in a deployed environment during an Operational Readiness Exercise at Volk Field, Wis., April 22-30. 

Conducted by the Volk Combat Readiness Training Center and fielded by the CRW's 818th Contingency Response Group, the ORE helped prepare the CRW for its second Operational Readiness Inspection, which will take place early 2010. 

Due to the 621st's extremely specialized mission of airbase opening, the CRG faced some unique challenges when it came to the ATSO scenario presented during the ORE. Typically, operational readiness exercises and inspections test Airmen as part of a larger Air Expeditionary Wing that could have more than 1,000 Airmen. However, as a "first-in" mobility unit, the CRG opens airbases with a small, highly-trained cadre of approximately 120 Airmen. 

"As a CRW, we are required to get all the people and equipment we need to open an airbase on their way out the door within twelve hours notification," said Col. Brian O'Connor, 621st CRW commander. "While these exercises will help us during the ORI, my biggest concern is that we're getting the training we need to maintain ATSO for our real-world mission when that call comes in." 

"The Volk CRTC leadership was incredibly flexible and understanding with regards to the way the CRG does business," said Lt. Col. Kyle Voigt, commander of the 818th Global Mobility Squadron. "We're small. We have a tiny footprint. And while that allows us to be very communicative and adaptive, it also requires us to do things a little differently than a full AEW would." 

For example, the typical AEW has a whole unit dedicated to the handling of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive threats. A CRG has two Airmen. 

"We don't get to see a lot of CRGs come through for these exercises, so we are used to things being done a very specific way," said Lt. Col. Gene Essex, the director of plans at Volk CRTC. "Once we reevaluated and adapted our training objectives and techniques to the CRG's concept of operations, I think the training was vastly improved." 

Amidst simulated explosions and chemical attacks, CRW Airmen established initial operational capability and began receiving Total Force aircraft flown by the 434th Air Refueling Wing at Grissom Air Reserve Base, Ind., and the 167th Airlift Wing at Martinsburg Air National Guard Base, W. Va. 

"When we go to these exercises, we always expect to see a high standard", said Col. Randy Ogden, operations group commander of the 434th Air Refueling Wing. "We expected the CRG to be good, but we didn't expect them to be like a NASCAR pit crew. They were amazing." 

"I can see how the CRW reproduces the same elements as an AEW, but runs differently," said Colonel Essex. "I knew a lot about CRGs from my previous TALCE experience, but they showed me a lot about how differently they operate now. Now that I've seen their approach, it makes sense." 

"I'm very proud of our people and how they adapted and overcame during the ORE," said Col. Steven Sorensen, 818th CRG commander. "We still have some work to do, and we're looking closely at how we can do things in the best way for the CRG mission."

"Hopefully when the ORI rolls around, we'll be able to show the IG some benchmark procedures."