Ready and responsive: 386th AEW AMDEX 21-02

Photo By Staff Sgt. Kaitlyn Ergish | U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the 386th Air Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron Aerospace Ground Equipment Flight take shelter in a bunker during the Air and Missile Defense Exercise 21-02 at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, April 21, 2021. The AMDEX 21-02 is a U.S. Air Forces Central-led exercise that develops and exercises tactics, techniques, and procedures against simulated air, force protection and missile threats. U.S. participation in exercises such as this one reassures our coalition partners and allies of our commitment to the security and stability of the region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kaitlyn J. Ergish)  

KUWAIT

04.21.2021

Story by Staff Sgt. Kristine Legate 

386th Air Expeditionary Wing

ALI AL SALEM AIR BASE, Kuwait — The 386th Air Expeditionary Wing at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, completed an Air and Missile Defense Exercise 21-02, April 21, 2021.

AMDEX is a semi-annual U.S. Air Forces Central-led exercise that develops and exercises tactics, techniques and procedures against simulated air, force protection and missile threats. Multiple locations throughout the U.S. Central Command theater participated in this event over the course of multiple days.

For the 386th AEW, extensive planning and coordinating with coalition partners began a month prior to the exercise. Together they worked to identify and strategize how each team’s strengths could be leveraged as they created the exercise plan.

“We built this exercise to include force protection condition changes, post-attack reconnaissance sweeps, counter small unmanned aerial system procedures, unexploded explosive ordinance identification and bunker dives,” said Tech. Sgt. Tanner Parker, 386th AEW Self-Assessment Program Manager and lead AMDEX planner. “We engaged with our coalition partners and were able to integrate Italian and Canadian military members by exercising command and control measures between our forces.”

While at first glance the exercise may have looked to be focused on the post attack process, the top priority was strengthening relationships between coalition partners and the wing.

“Locally, AMDEX 21-02 provides an opportunity for the 386th AEW and our coalition partners to identify and leverage individual strengths and to improve interoperability,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Daniel Cordes, 386th AEW vice commander. “It demonstrates our collective commitment to the defense of Kuwait while contributing to the larger 9th Air Force effort to promote stability and security in the region.”

Regularly participating in exercises like these demonstrates the importance of operating in challenging environments, building trust between nations, and leveraging collective strengths to build a more cohesive team.

While AMDEX 21-02 has come to an end at the 386th AEW, the planning team is already hard at work developing the next exercise where coalition teams and the wing will come together to further enhance interoperability and collaboration efforts.

Story was originally posted to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing website on April 23, 2021 and may be found at https://www.afcent.af.mil/Units/386th-Air-Expeditionary-Wing/News/Display/Article/2582905/ready-and-responsive-386th-aew-amdex-21-02/

• Date Taken: 04.21.2021
• Date Posted: 04.23.2021 05:32
• Story ID: 394542
• Location: KW