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380AEW Article

Deployed maintain preparedness

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Denise Johnson
  • 380th AEW Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  More than 25 people crafted and put into play a simulated scenario to prepare 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Airmen for a real-world terrorist attack here Dec. 12.

Airmen from the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing practiced real-world responses during a simulated terrorist attack and validated an array of operations plans, including one from the 380th Expeditionary Anti-Terrorism and Force Protection Office.

"Our hope was to create a realistic scenario to test the wing's ability to respond while allowing them to put plans into practice," said Lt. Col. Shane Capaldi, 380th Expeditionary Plans and Programs chief. "Regardless of how ready you think you are, applying your knowledge first-hand and putting that knowledge to the test is the best way to prepare for an actual event."

The planners and evaluators established the step-by-step sequence of events weeks before the exercise took place. Representatives from the various units on base comprised the planning team, each provided "injects" to dictate how their respective units would be tested and evaluated.

The exercise scenario is considered secret, to ensure the event is a surprise and reactions are genuine. No one on base, outside those with a need to know, was privy to the details of the scenario.

"We don't want people to cram for this like it's an exam," said Colonel Capaldi. "It's not realistic in that manner. In a real-world emergency we don't know when and where a vehicle is going to hit an
Improvised Explosive Device; we wanted people to respond naturally."

And that's exactly what occurred here midday. As the base populace went about their daily routine, exercise planners and volunteers set up a vehicle collision as a result of a simulated IED.

The scenario included a small pick-up truck which struck an IED, flipped in the air and hit a loaded 45-passenger bus. Make-up artists from the 380th Expeditionary Medical Group were on hand to dress up the killed and wounded, known as moulage victims. Members of the 380th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron's Fire and Emergency Services and EOD flights dressed up the atmosphere with a smoke machine and a loud explosion to kick off the exercise.

First on scene to respond to the explosion was a 380th Expeditionary Security Forces noncommissioned officer. He approached the vehicles with caution and checked two simulated victims he came across on the smoke-covered ground for any signs of life. He quickly determined they were beyond medical care, however, when he read the cards attached to their shirt pockets which read, "Dead."

The passengers on the bus were luckier than their counterparts in the truck, as they all survived the impact, though some were suffering from simulated serious injuries.

As more responders arrived on scene, the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing commander called his commanders and advisors together to assess the situation and direct response based on the available information.

"The first thing any commander wants to do in an emergency is to ensure his people are safe and proper responses are taken," said Brig. Gen. H.D. Polumbo, Jr., 380th AEW commander. "In order to make the right decisions, I need accurate information and the right people getting me that information."

The base's threat-condition level increased incrementally over a short period of time as the scene went from being an accident to a terrorist attack. Security measures were heightened and everyone on base was accounted for through a base-wide accountability plan. Each communication began and ended with "Exercise, Exercise, Exercise," to ensure everyone understood the parameters of the situation.

"It's important to emphasize this is an exercise," Colonel Capaldi said. "Our real-world mission doesn't stop for an exercise. This could really happen in the Area of Responsibility right now and people are counting on our operational capabilities to respond. We've got a great team more than capable of executing the Air Tasking Order while conducting an exercise."

There are more than 1,500 people who comprise the 380th AEW. Most are deployed here for between four and six months. Every deployed wing endures a transitional populace, the 380th is no different. People here come from all over the world to meet for the first time, learn one another's personalities, the layout and infrastructure of the base, and adjust to new leadership.

"Exercises allow me to see where our strong points are and also where we might need to tighten up processes," General Polumbo said. "This drill was an opportunity to maintain our readiness, which is something we should always capitalize on whether here or at home. I'm very proud of the efforts by our Airmen."