130th Airlift Wing Airmen completes FLARE-V

Photo By Airman 1st Class Kaden Salmons | Members of the 130th Airlift Wing execute a Limited FLUSH plan as a part of Fly Away Readiness Exercise Validation (FLARE-V) at Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center (CRTC), Miss. on Sept. 9, 2023. FLARE-V 2023 is a Commander Directed Readiness Exercise designed to inform commanders of their units’ ability to Generate-Employ-Sustain combat capability across the spectrum of warfare. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Airman 1st Class Kaden Salmons)  

GULFPORT AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, MS, UNITED STATES

09.10.2023

Story by 1st Lt. Alexis Farmer and 2nd Lt. De-Juan Haley

130th Airlift Wing

Gulfport, Miss -- Around 350 Airmen from the 130th Airlift Wing, Mclaughlin Air National Guard Base, Charleston, W.Va., deployed to Gulfport, Miss., Sept 7 to Sept 10 for the Fly Away Readiness Exercise Validation (FLARE-V).

The members participated in various scenarios that tested unit readiness. The exercise started at Mclaughlin Air National Guard Base, where members went through the PDF (personnel deployment function) line. Before the Airmen can step onto the plane, the 130th Airlift Wing ensures they are qualified to deploy by sending them through a personnel deployment function line.

Once the airmen arrived in Gulfport, members went through various scenarios, such as a mock attack, tactical combat casualty care, chemical, biological, radiation, nuclear response, and career field-specific tasks. In addition to these scenarios, the unit practiced Agile Combat Employment (ACE), a proactive and reactive operational scheme of maneuver executed within threat timelines to increase survivability while generating combat power, and the Multi-capable Airmen (MCA) concept, which requires training in expeditionary skills and are capable of accomplishing tasks outside of their core Air Force specialty.

While the airmen participated in the exercise, the Wing Inspector General's (IG) office evaluated their performance. Air Mobility Command's IG also attended to assess, validate, and report wing and subordinate units' readiness against their directed requirements.

A Readiness Exercise (RE) is a full-scale or functional exercise that provides a practical evaluation to validate unit readiness through performance-based observation of Mission Essential Tasks (METs), as tasked by a specific plan and reported on in the Defense Readiness Reporting System (DRRS). This exercise informs commanders of their units' ability to generate, employ, and sustain their combat capability across the spectrum of warfare.

"This exercise allowed us to demonstrate our readiness and receive validation from our higher headquarters, the Air Mobility Command," said Col. Bryan Preece, commander of the 130th Airlift Wing. "I'm proud of our airmen and their commitment to staying ready for any environment."

FLARE exercise was a part of the Air Force's larger mechanism of continuous assessment by the wing, MAJCOM, and the service through a series of evaluative events, including scalable wing-level exercises, joint exercises, complex and operationally informed training events, real-world deployments, and the validation of readiness reporting procedures.

• Date Taken: 09.10.2023
• Date Posted: 09.14.2023 08:17
• Story ID: 453392
• Location: GULFPORT AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, MS, US