AASAB’s first coalition active shooter exercise

Photo By Senior Airman Devan Halstead | Italian medical personnel work to remove a casualty from the scene during an active shooter joint exercise inside Camp Italy at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, April 13, 2023. American, Italian, and Canadian forces all came together to conduct this exercise in order to gain a better understanding of each forces’ first responder capabilities. Joint ventures like this not only improve security at AASAB, but also increase the cohesion between U.S. forces and coalition partners during crisis response efforts. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Senior Airman Devan Halstead)  

ALI AL SALEM AIR BASE, KUWAIT

04.21.2023

Story by Senior Airman Devan Halstead 

386th Air Expeditionary Wing

ALI AL SALEM AIR BASE, Kuwait – American, Italian, and Canadian forces participated in AASAB’s first coalition active shooter exercise on April 13, 2023.

The exercise broke new ground in the partnership between the multinational force here at AASAB, giving each counties’ personnel a chance to increase their communication with one another as well as improve processes within their own ranks.

“It was actually the Italians who reached out to us and suggested we perform the exercise at their camp,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Alex S. Rich, 386th Air Expeditionary Wing inspector general. “I think this sets a great precedent and demonstrates a strong desire amongst our partners to work even closer together.”

This sentiment was echoed by Italian Air Force Maj. A. D., Task Force Air-Kuwait Force Protection Unit commander.

“It is our leadership’s intent to engage in more activities with our American allies,” said Maj. A. D. “I was very happy to hear that the Americans accepted our invitation to have the exercise here with us. Knowing how your allies work makes it much easier to support each other effectively.”

According to Maj. A. D., much was learned on the Italian side during the exercise.

“We found out we can make some substantial improvements to the way we share command and control,” said Maj. A. D. “In the future we will try to integrate one of our people into the American command and control so we can have a direct line to one another.”

Maj. A. D. mentioned that the Italian medical personnel gained the most from this exercise and that they will work to create new processes and procedures to better prepare for if the worst were to happen.

“There were some pleasant surprises during this exercise,” said Rich. “Our investigators sent out a call for support and a Canadian military police officer answered that call almost instantly. That was not intended. That was not even part of the exercise, but I loved to see it.”

Both Rich and Maj. A. D. expressed their excitement for the future of the multinational partnership here at AASAB.

When asked what was next Rich said, “In a couple months we’ll have a brand new rotation of personnel come in. How do we set them up for success? We ensure that the partnerships we’ve built here outlast us.”

• Date Taken: 04.21.2023
• Date Posted: 04.21.2023 08:46
• Story ID: 443062
• Location: ALI AL SALEM AIR BASE, KW