AL DHAFRA AIR BASE, United Arab Emirates -- Military personnel assigned to the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing participated in a defense exercise here Sept. 21-25. The exercise tied together the planning and execution of threat recognition, passive defense measures, engagement of active air defenses and base recovery capabilities.
“This was a new event – the culmination of three months of effort and planning to address the most likely and dangerous threats that ADAB faces,” said Maj. Garrett Dilley, 380th AEW Chief of Plans and Programs. “We will continue to build upon and demonstrate these defensive capabilities in the future with exercises like this one.”
Airmen and Soldiers were evaluated on the timeliness of response to alarms, threat indications and warnings, and whether or not response procedures were followed correctly. The duration and effectivity of defensive posture changes was also evaluated. Host nation partners were able to observe the events as well.
Dilley acknowledges there is a difference in doing an exercise here compared to CONUS.
“The key factor here at Al Dhafra is our proximity to regional threats,” he said. “It is clear we are both a stabilizing force and a deterrence to aggressors. In order to meet the commander’s intent, we must have credible and ready defensive capabilities that make us a hard target. That means each individual must clearly know their role and be able to execute on a moment’s notice should the threat arise.”
Exercises not only meet the USAFCENT commander’s intent of sustaining readiness, they align into the wing’s mission.
“We have to ensure Al Dhafra can continue to deliver and stage airpower in the face of adversary aggression, so readying ourselves today while we have the time is critical to successfully defend ourselves during contingency operations,” Dilley said. “We also find huge value in our partnerships, particularly with our on-base Army partners and our Emirati hosts. Events like this one provide opportunities to develop these relationships so that, in the end, we can face any attack jointly and with greater success.”
Efforts and planning to address the most likely and dangerous threats to Team ADAB caught the eye of the wing leadership.
“To ensure an exercise of this magnitude is effective takes a great deal of time, coordination and creativity,” said Brig. Gen. Larry Broadwell, 380th AEW commander. “The protection of those assigned to Al Dhafra remains my top priority for they are critical to delivering combat airpower for any regional contingency.”