Photo By Dominick Cremeans | Participants of EPIC CRAB 2025 participate in a group photo on Northwest Field, Guam....... read more read more
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Northwest Field, Guam – The 554th RED HORSE Squadron recently hosted EPIC CRAB 2025, an interoperable field training exercise focused on Rapid Explosive Hazard Mitigation (REHM). This field training exercise – in support of Headquarters Pacific Air Forces and shaped under the leadership of Chief Master Sgt. Michael Vallejo, PACAF EOD Chief – challenged Air Force, Marine, and Naval EOD technicians to implement new methods for identifying, disposing, and clearing diverse ordnance types. Notably, the 554th RED HORSE Squadron welcomed two EOD specialists from the Singapore Air Force, fostering multinational collaboration.
Master Sgt. Michael Alger, Section Chief, EOD Contingency Training and the principal trainer of EPIC CRAB, underscored the importance of interoperability in the dynamic Indo-Pacific theater. “It's extremely important to involve our other branches and partner nations because they need to know what we're capable of – that we mean business,” Alger emphasized. “It's a growing relationship that consistently needs work. We are a team, and we need to show them that we will work side-by-side with them for whatever they encounter, or hopefully, whatever we encounter should a challenge arise.”
The training was meticulously structured in a crawl-walk-run format, gradually escalating complexity to bolster participant confidence as they navigated various scenarios, from theory-based classrooms to live-fire explosive drills. The cornerstone of EPIC CRAB 2025 was the development of competence in REHM, a critical concept within airfield damage repair primarily applicable to EOD units. However, the training extended to non-EOD participants as well, including RED HORSE engineers, who possess unique capabilities to clear runways impacted by ordnance using heavy machinery.
A major component of the exercise included hands-on interaction with the Recovery of Airbase Denied by Ordinance (RABDO) vehicle. This vehicle utilizes directed energy to detonate explosives from impressive distance. With very few RABDO vehicles in circulation, real-world, experiential training with the vehicle was an invaluable opportunity for all engineers in attendance to advance their operational readiness capabilities.
Beyond conventional EOD and Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) operations, EPIC CRAB 2025 integrated comprehensive training through various elements. Participants were challenged on their Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) and CASEVAC protocols, executing day and night MEDEVAC operations, triaging and providing life-saving care to simulated casualties before transporting them via tactical vehicles to awaiting MEDEVAC helicopters.
Guam presents unparalleled training assets and conditions, particularly evident at Northwest Field. This strategic location is one of few equipped to accommodate live explosive ordnance on runways, an indispensable feature for this specialized training. As controlled detonations damage the airfield, the 554th RED HORSE Squadron promptly follows with engineering support in rapid damage assessment and repair, thereby simulating real-world post-attack recovery scenarios.
Critical to the planning phases of EPIC CRAB is the central focus on year-over-year continuous improvement for training outcomes. The major influences on this year’s exercise came from the rapidly developing Indo-Pacific theater in which Guam finds itself. Across the Indo-Pacific, U.S. and allied forces work to set the theater and be prepared for new warfighting scenarios. With massive infrastructure projects underway throughout the Pacific, engineers’ EOD counterparts aim to be ready and trained to protect the new and rebuilt runways. By utilizing modern tools and tactics like the RABDO vehicle and REHM, EOD technicians are maximally equipped to come into a space denied by ordnance and rapidly clear the dangers, ultimately enabling civil engineers to swiftly repair the runways without threat of unexploded ordnance.
| Date Taken: | 05.29.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.29.2025 15:13 |
| Story ID: | 499205 |
| Location: | NORTHWEST FIELD, GU |
| Web Views: | 87 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, EPIC CRAB 2025: Readiness, Resilience, and REHM, by Emma Barton, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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