Reserve Citizen Airmen conduct Contingency Response Exercise

Photo By Master Sgt. Gregory Brook | Tech. Sgt. Robert Meyers, A Reserve Citizen Airman from the 315th contingency response flight, 315th Airlift Wing, Join Base Charleston, S.C. builds a tent during a contingency response exercise originating in Joint Base Charleston S.C., June 23-27, 2021 at Richmond International Airport, Va., working with federal, Department of Defense, Department of Justice, and Department of Homeland Security response teams. The Exercise was designed to provide various training scenarios to maintain operational currencies, validate Agile Combat Employment doctrine and employ tactics training and procedures to foster sister service and federal department interoperability. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Master Sgt. Gregory Brook)  

RICHMOND, VA, UNITED STATES

06.27.2021

Story by Master Sgt. Gregory Brook 

4th Combat Camera Squadron

RICHMOND, Va.—The air is thick with humidity and the ground shimmers with heat. Its summer in Virginia, and a low rumble breaks the humid calm. A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III from Joint Base Charleston lands, and then everything changes. Within minutes, airmen from the 315th Contingency Response Flight are setting up equipment, establishing communications, and building the infrastructure needed to respond to anything from a natural disaster to facilitating cargo operations in a contested environment.

Patriot Palm 2021 is a contingency response exercise taking place at Richmond international airport, with the U.S. Air Force working with multiple Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, and other Federal Agency partner forces to provide opportunities to develop interoperability protocols as well as tactics, training, and procedure validation.

“when you go out on a real mission you will be working with all of these different government entities,” said Lt. Col. Allison Garbade, commander, 315 Contingency Response Flight. “you need familiarization with how these processes work and how to integrate with these entities. You have to practice how you will actually fight. That way, when you go out on a real-world mission you are already familiar with these organizations and it will be easier to fit in seamlessly in an operational environment,” said Garabade.

Training Events like these enable and enhance interoperability and develop both joint protocol and Airmen able to perform in multiple environments and adapt to a multitude of situational and environmental constraints. These exercises increase capabilities and decrease response times for any developing contingency. The U.S. Air Force doctrine of Agile Combat Employment is on full display. Agile Combat Employment is an operational doctrine that leverages networks of well-established and austere air bases, multi-capable airmen, pre-positioned equipment, and Airlift capabilities to rapidly deploy, disperse and maneuver throughout a theater or for a given contingency operation.

The frequency of these exercises serves to provide training to every stakeholder who is part of the contingency response and emergency response capability of the United States Federal Government. “we do these types of (joint) exercises 4-5 times a year,” said FBI Special Agent James L. Hughes, Jr., Team Leader, Washington Field Office Rapid Deployment Team. “This is a vital training opportunity for us and we are always learning a new piece of how to do this better.”

The training experience these exercises provide enable various agencies and capabilities to integrate to accomplish any mission, and do so in a way that cannot be simulated virtually or in other ways. “This training allows us to be better prepared and be mission capable to deliver combat and support capability at a moment’s notice,” said Boatswains Mate 3rd class Maxwell Kolar, Maritime Security Response Team East, U.S. Coast Guard.

• Date Taken: 06.27.2021
• Date Posted: 07.01.2021 02:59
• Story ID: 400168
• Location: RICHMOND, VA, US