445th Airlift Wing hones ORI skills at Volk Field

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Cynthia Harris
  • 445th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  Approximately 100 members of the 445th Airlift Wing boarded a C-17 Globemaster III bound for Volk Field Air National Guard Base, Wis. April 22 to prepare for the unit's upcoming operational readiness inspection.

The group used the four-day exercise at Volk Field to hone their skills in responding to attacks, bugging out, transferring control, relocating, and reassuming control in conventional and chemical environments. The unit was joined by members of the 452nd Air Mobility Wing, March Air Reserve Base, Calif.

Master Sgt. Walter Bennett, 445th Security Forces Squadron plans and programs manager, emphasized the need to streamline and standardize procedures to help make concise decisions.

"This exercise gave us the opportunity to operate and streamline our processes. These are natural growing pains. If we don't do the exercise under some form of stress, we won't see what is good and what needs to be improved, and fix it before the ORI. "

The objectives of the exercise were to establish and maintain effective command and control between all control centers in both primary and alternate locations; and attain proficiency in all shelter and PAR team actions under all Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) conditions.

To ensure that all Airmen are ready for the ORI NCOs need to push the younger Airmen to take action because these Airmen aren't familiar with the process and therefore are unsure of what to do. This may cause them to not take action. Doing these exercises will make them comfortable with tasks outside their comfort zone. The time to figure these things out is now before game time, Bennett added.

The trip to Volk Field proved to be a success.

"The outstanding attitude and effort of everyone involved made this a successful exercise. As we prepare for September, we need to come to work with the right attitude. The right attitude is 90 percent of the getting the mission accomplished," said Col. Stephen Goeman, 445th Airlift Wing commander.

(Maj. Jose Cardenas contributed to this story.)