Photo By Tech. Sgt. Luther Mitchell | Airmen from the 821st Contingency Response Group respond to a simulated chemical...... read more read more
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The 821st Contingency Response Group participated in a United States Transportation Command funded exercise as a Joint Task Force-Port Opening team to demonstrate their ability to rapidly position forces in response to emergent or unpredicted contingencies at Cecil Airport, Florida, Feb. 16-23.
Exercise Turbo Distribution provided an integrated and joint approach to training that aligned with and supported strategic plans and organic readiness between U. S. Air Force, U. S. Army and Defense Logistics Agency personnel.
"Every time we go out the door, it's always uncertain," said Chief Master Sgt. Ron Garbarini, 821st Contingency Response Group superintendent. "So, an environment like this really fosters innovation."
JTF-PO forces deployed in support of Operation Provide Relief to deliver relief supplies to refugee camps in fictional location in real-world Jacksonville, Florida as part of the exercise scenario.
A Joint Assessment Team, from Travis Air Force Base, arrived first to assess the condition of the airfield, followed by the rest of the team to open and establish an aerial port and distribution link to deliver supplies.
"Our ability to rapidly open an aerial port of debarkation is a critical enabler in humanitarian and contingency environments," said Col. William Wade, 821st CRG deputy commander. "Our specially trained and equipped Airmen and Soldiers are the heart of this capability. They make this mission fun, exciting, and rewarding."
A JTF-PO is composed of jointly trained and ready air, surface and sea forces, constituted as a joint task force at a time of need. Contingency Response forces are self-sufficient and deploy with all personnel, equipment and supplies to execute the mission anytime, anywhere.
Airmen practiced receiving and distributing cargo from up to 30 aircraft per day and Soldiers helped "load up and roll" out cargo. DLA personnel worked behind the scenes to contract resources to complete the mission.
Throughout the exercise an inspection team evaluated how each of the services were able to respond to dynamic environments. This included simulated chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive attacks, terrorist activity, and other challenging situations that could be encountered in real-world missions.
"Exercise Turbo Distribution offered the Joint Air Force and Army team the opportunity to train together in a challenging operational environment," Wade said. "We validated our bare base opening capabilities, our ability to operate jointly, and our ability to effectively support air traffic. The scenario, distance of our distribution network, and volume of cargo proved challenging, but we learned a lot during the exercise."
The JTF-PO demonstrated the wing’s capability to deploy, train, operate and evaluate full spectrum readiness. This exercise was the first for many participants and provided an opportunity to learn the Contingency Response Wing’s mission.
According to the CRW’s priorities, full spectrum readiness means that every Devil Raider is fully trained, equipped and mentally prepared to plan, deploy and execute the mission in any environment with minimal notice.
“It is always great to train and practice as a Joint Task Force,” Wade said. “For many of us, this was our first Exercise Turbo Distribution. While it is very similar to our conventional contingency response mission, the JTF-PO has its differences too. It was a great learning event.”
| Date Taken: | 03.01.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 03.01.2019 09:01 |
| Story ID: | 312450 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ, US |
| Web Views: | 259 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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