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380AEW Article

Preparing for tomorrow without sacrificing execution today

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jacob Morgan
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Members of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing participated in an active-shooter exercise scenario Sept. 26. The scenario tested 380th personnel on lockdown procedures, emergency response actions, and virtual command and control of the situation.

The exercise began with a disgruntled security forces member shooting three other members at various locations. Mid-way through the shooting, an off-duty security forces member, Airman 1st Class Christopher Bogan, who was at the scene of the exercise shooting, immediately utilized a nearby force protection member's radio to contact the base defense operations center. He then ran to the medical clinic alerting the medical team about the wounded personnel.

Directly after the disgruntled member reached his final destination and taken hostages, the first three victims were receiving medical care, where another bystander, Capt. Patrick Kellerman, 380th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron Munitions flight chief, responded to provide aid. Once victims were receiving medical care and security forces had responded, a negotiator contacted the disgruntled member and the exercise ended shortly thereafter.

"Overall, the exercise went very well, first responders did a great job and the lockdown procedures went well," said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Joey Myers, 380th AEW Plans and Programs exercise coordinator. "In a short timeframe, security forces had a description, medical had been escorted on scene and each area the active-shooter had been was under control."

While first responders were handling the situation outside, the whole base was on lockdown including base leadership. Command and control was conducted virtually, which presented different types of challenges than when decision makers are in a room together.

"Figuring out how to communicate virtually between [wing leadership] the emergency operations center and group control centers can be difficult, said U.S. Lt. Col. Robert Cook, 380th AEW Plans and Programs chief. "We had a few hiccups at the beginning, but everyone got on the same page and the situation was handled."

The active shooter exercise scenario is one of many exercises the 380th AEW will be accomplishing over the next few months. The coming exercises will include rehearsal of concept for base leadership, anti-terrorism, major accident response, and commander directed exercises, such as bunker procedures and individual protection wear.

Each one of these wing level exercises is managed by the 380th AEW Plans and Programs office, said Myers, who calls Pierce, Idaho, home and is deployed from Travis Air Force Base, Calif. The office is split into two major areas, plans and exercises.

Overall, wing plans and programs faces several challenges in a deployed location, said Myers. The office has 28 emergency management exercise core capabilities to assess annually and with such a high turnover rate of deployed personnel, it is hard to keep people up-to-date on the training. Also, adding robust exercise requirements to very busy operations is not always met with enthusiasm.

"We realize the combat mission is the wing's number one priority and that everyone is working hard," said Cook. "We try to balance meeting exercise objectives and not tying up wing personnel and resources for an extended period of time. We are right in the middle of the fight here, focused on preparing for tomorrow without sacrificing execution today."

The members of the 380th AEW Plans and Program office are from different career fields including aircrew and support functions, said Cook, who calls Beaver Dam, Wis., home and is deployed from The Pentagon.

"We've gained a greater appreciation for the importance of exercises and contingency planning; both will pay dividends down the road," said Cook. "Our goal is to make wing [exercises] effective but not burdensome."