Photo By Master Sgt. Steph Sawyer | Master Sgt. James Lowery, a Wing Inspection Team (WIT) member from the 142nd Security...... read more read more
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WARRENTON, Ore.--In early May, the 142nd Medical and Mission Support Groups (MDG and MSG) executed an AFFORGEN exercise at Camp Rilea in Warrenton, Oregon.
AFFORGEN refers to the Air Force’s new deployment model known as Air Force Force Generation.
AFFORGEN was put in place as a way to prepare for and respond to the evolution of the Great Power Conflict in an effort to increase readiness and lethality across the force.
This exercise focused on establishing and preparing a base for the arrival of aircraft and personnel and the sustainment of operations in an austere environment.
Chief Master Sgt. Rebekah Birt, 142nd MSG Senior Enlisted Leader, was one of the primary planners for the exercise. The objective, she said, was to give Airmen an opportunity to concentrate on how to best carry out their roles in a deployed environment.
“This [exercise] allowed us to focus on some of our mission essential tasks and learning objectives that we don’t get to exercise in the typical wing readiness exercises,” explained Birt.
Wing readiness exercises have historically focused most on executing the mission in a contested environment, assuming all facilities and supporting elements are already in place. For this AFFORGEN exercise, Airmen were tasked to figure out how to establish an operational base from the ground up.
“Typically, in the past, we have deployed to places with hardened facilities,” said Birt. “What we imagine future conflicts to be…will be more of this: a small footprint on places where we’re having to establish the infrastructure for incoming forces and aircraft.”
The exercise introduced Airmen to new concepts which they were able to work through by applying critical thinking and problem solving skills.
The overarching goal of the exercise, Birt said, was to give Airmen the opportunity to exercise their technical skills while developing their foundational competencies in an environment focused on learning.
In the MDG, the Guard Medical Unit (GMU) set up a field hospital where Airmen accepted patients, treated them at their level of care, and learned how to put in patient movement requests to move patients out of the area of responsibility to a higher level of care.
For many MDG Airmen, these processes and procedures offered opportunities for learning through application, explained Master Sgt. Alyssa Shaffer, a lead exercise planner and Wing Inspection Team (WIT) member for the 142nd MDG.
“I can tell that some of our [Non-Commissioned Officers] are stressed and this is brand new for them and they’re…trying to figure things out as they go,” said Shaffer. “They’re having to switch their brains from domestic operations to…ok, now we’re…in an area where things are going to go wrong. There is danger. We need to worry about our lives and our patients’ lives.”
Though the exercise scenario was inherently stressful, the aim was to introduce Airmen to certain concepts and have them figure out how to organize and execute effectively.
“...Not everything in the exercise was perfect in execution,” explained Birt. “Rather, we purposefully provided them a safe space to make mistakes, learn, develop courses of action, and receive mentorship from those on the site with more experience.”
The exercise ultimately laid the groundwork for leadership to advocate for MSG and MDG to play a larger role in future exercises as they are a key component to the unit’s overall mission capability.
| Date Taken: | 06.04.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.05.2025 11:15 |
| Story ID: | 499658 |
| Location: | CAMP RILEA, OREGON, US |
| Web Views: | 57 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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