Photo By Master Sgt. Patrick Espeut | Soldiers from the U.S. Army National Guard’s 20th Special Forces Group fast rope...... read more read more
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WARREN GROVE RANGE, New Jersey – New York Air Guardsmen from the 105th Airlift Wing and 106th Rescue Wing teamed up with Massachusetts Army National Guard Special Forces Soldiers during a joint combat rescue exercise in New Jersey, from May 5 to 7.
The joint exercise, dubbed Operation Jawbreaker, included everything from conducting ground assaults on a forward operating base to repelling an enemy force from defensive fighting positions and conducting a joint rescue operation.
Debriefs were held between base defenders and the special warfare operators to highlight tactics that were well executed and identify areas for improvement.
The 105th Airlift Wing’s 105th Base Defense Squadron contributed 28 Airmen to the exercise, with six Airmen from wing intelligence, vehicle maintenance and supply as well.
In a real-world deployment, Airmen from these career fields would be embedded with the base defense force to provide intelligence reports and repair vehicles.
The 105th Airlift Wing is based at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh and flies the C-17 Globemaster III transport. The wing’s base defense squadron also deploys Airmen in support of overseas missions.
The 106th Rescue Wing contributed two HH-60G Pave Hawk search and rescue helicopters with four aircrew on board, as well as an HC-130 Combat King II search and rescue aircraft with a five-Airman crew.
The highlight of the exercise was a mission in which the 106th Rescue Wing transported in the Army Guard Green Berets to conduct a recovery, while the 105th base defenders coordinated from the ground.
The scenario was built around a remotely located, friendly, bare bones base experiencing an enemy attack with friendly forces suffering a casualty that required air evacuation.
Rescue aircraft circled overhead, and Green Berets dropped in to recover the simulated friendly casualty.
The scenario was designed to exercise every capability the units involved have, according to Maj. Sean Gavin, a Pave Hawk pilot in the 106th Rescue Wing’s 101st Rescue Squadron, and one of the exercise planners.
“The ultimate objective was to execute a mission that exercised a lot of the core tasks and skillsets that we have here, while also gaining experience with and exposing outside assets to our capabilities,” Gavin said.
The exercise was the 105th’s second joint training with U.S. Army Green Berets from the 20th Special Forces Group.
The partnership was made possible by 1st Lt. Al Romano, a 105th Base Defense Squadron officer who works at the New York Police Department’s Emergency Services Unit where a member of the 20th Special Forces Group also serves.
Special Forces Soldiers deploy in teams know as Operational Detachment Alphas, called ODAs, and this was a chance for the Air Guardsmen to work with one of those teams, Romano said.
“The Air Force is looking for innovative ways to breed multi-capable Airmen. What better unit to look to than a battle-tested ODA whom we can learn so much from,” he said.
“These Special Forces units can greatly enhance our warfighting and ground base defense capabilities so that we are able to better prepare for near-peer adversaries,“ Romano added.
Capt. Alex Krienke, the Special Forces team leader said his Soldiers appreciated the chance to work with the Air Guard pararescuemen, known as PJs, and base defenders.
“To have everything that you need in one complete package to support a special operations mission is exactly what Green Berets, SEALs, P.J.s need, when they go do their missions,” Krienke said.
During the recovery mission, the Pave Hawk rescue helicopters carried a Special Forces team who slid down from the hovering helicopters on a rope.
At the same time, the HC-130J assigned to the 102nd Rescue Squadron, from the 106th Rescue Wing, utilized its search and rescue sensors to relay, real-time tactical data between air and ground forces, and the 106th Operations Group intelligence personnel who were monitoring the mission.
Once the simulated casualty was secured, he was evacuated by helicopter to a nearby airstrip where a waiting HC-130J and crew transported him to treatment.
“The Green Berets wanted to practice long-term medical care in the field,” said Gavin. “That’s something they need to be really good at, considering they may be tasked to cover a large area where there are limited assets.”
Master Sgt. Aljamien Gamble, who led the base defenders said the chance to train with the 106th and the Special Forces Soldiers was valuable.
“This training is beneficial to facilitate the wing’s vision, which is ‘Always Ready.’” said Gamble. “That means working in an austere environment, alone and unafraid, and getting ourselves ready for anything that comes up in the future.”
An important element of a joint exercise was to familiarize those involved with terminology used by the different service branches to prevent confusion when communicating with each other, Krienke said.
“Doing training like this gives us exposure to the way the Air Force wants to hear it and it’s very beneficial for me to keep in the back of my mind next time I know an Air Force asset is coming to support one of my operations,” Krienke said.
| Date Taken: | 05.22.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 05.24.2023 11:35 |
| Story ID: | 445429 |
| Location: | WARREN GROVE , NJ, US |
| Web Views: | 102 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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