621st CRW Airmen participate in joint exercise Published July 30, 2008 By Staff Sgt. Francis Lalic 21st Air Mobility Operations Squadron TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Airmen from various units in the 621st Contingency Response Wing participated in Operation Hydra 08 across five airfields in California July 11-20. The 615th Contingency Response Wing based at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., sponsored the second annual training exercise, which involved more than 1,000 participants and 22 aircraft from 13 wings from across the United States. "This west-coast event is a rare opportunity for the 615th CRW, multiple Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army units to integrate and train jointly in Air Mobility Contingency Response Operations," said Brig. Gen. Mark Stearns, 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force commander. Operation Hydra is a joint armed forces and airborne training exercise that integrates Contingency Response Operations warriors, mobility aircrews, Red Horse engineers and the XVIII Airborne Corps in an airfield seizure and two contingency response groups air base opening events. This exercise encompasses all facets of intra-theater mobility operations. "Last year, operation Hydra 07 was a benchmark event that linked the tactical and operational level of Air Mobility Contingency Response Operations through a Joint and Total Force exercise," General Stearns added. "Over 300 people and 10 aircraft made Hydra 07 a resounding success." The expeditionary mobility task force general's intent is to ensure contingency response operation warriors are better prepared to respond to contingency and humanitarian air base opening events by building upon the high standards set by Hydra 07. Hydra is designed to hone the skills of the contingency response wing and respond within a 12-hour notice to any arising circumstance that requires an airbase opening - whether to fight in War on Terror or humanitarian missions such as hurricane scenarios, tsunami relief and other earthly catastrophes worldwide. "The men and women of the 615th Contingency Response Wing are proud to provide this unique event to showcase our full spectrum of contingency operations forces in action: 'Lean, Light and First to the Fight'," General Stearns added. During the week-long training, participants move and transport troops between airfield bases, "opening" the base after a simulated airfield seizure and provide airlift support to the transportation group. Ground operations are sustained by multiple airdrop, landing zone and air refueling missions. All of these missions are planned and executed at a deployed Air Mobility Division, providing operational-level oversight of the tactical missions to maximize the aircrew training opportunities. The 21st Air Mobility Operations Squadron and 819th Global Support Squadron from McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., were among those deploying in support of this exercise. "This has been a great experience and training opportunity that will contribute to my success in a deployed environment," said Tech. Sgt. Vivian Bender, a command and control specialist from 21st AMOS deployed to Hydra. "Hydra provides a great opportunity to link operational-level war planning with tactical-level execution. In addition, it showcases the full spectrum of capability provided by the CRWs. This includes contingency response element operations found in the global support squadrons, air base opening and joint task force-port opening operations enabled by the contingency response groups, and deployable theater command and control provided by the air mobility operations squadrons," said Lt. Col. Mark MacDonald, 21st AMOS commander. "Hydra demonstrates the best of Air Mobility Command's premier expeditionary forces," the colonel added.