Barksdale gears up for NORI

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Alyssa Wallace
  • 2d Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  On average, Barksdale personnel participate in four Nuclear Operational Readiness Exercises per year. However, three NOREs are slated during May and June alone as the base gears up for a summertime inspection.

"We are preparing for an Air Force Global Strike Command Nuclear Operational Readiness Inspection in late June, and we have added a couple extra practices to ensure maximum readiness," said Lt. Col. Paul Griffith, wing exercises, plans and programs director. "Because our plans in support of nuclear operations are so critical, we need to exercise under stressful conditions in order to make sure that when it comes time to perform any higher headquarters directed missions, the men, women and B-52s of the 2d Bomb Wing are ready to execute those missions without error."

Airmen should know these exercises are not only in preparation for the upcoming inspection, but to also ensure they are mission-ready when called upon.

Col. Steven Basham, 2d Bomb Wing commander, explains, "Multiple exercises in a short period of time allow our Airmen to quickly build upon lessons learned from one exercise to another. Of course, this also allows us to ensure our readiness for the upcoming inspection. However, our goal is to provide continuous combat capability with predictability and stability and spread the exercises out over a period of time that will allow us to focus on both nuclear and conventional training.

"We are bringing new Airmen to the wing all the time and we need to ensure they are prepared to perform the mission," he continued. "Higher-headquarters validates our preparation through inspections and make no mistake; our Airmen will be found ready."

However, base leadership has taken into account the potential stress of back-to-back exercises.

"All of our commanders are working with their Airmen, noncommissioned officers and officers to judge and evaluate the stresses that these multiple and time-compressed exercises will cause us," Colonel Griffith said. "Unfortunately, this scenario is somewhat similar to what we had to do in order to prepare for last December's Conventional Operational Readiness Inspection. Yet, we did it and we pulled off a very successful CORI and became the first bomber wing to pass a CORI in five years."

Colonel Griffith says the NORE held May 1-7 was the first real intensive test and led to mistakes and lessons learned. However, Barksdale Airmen are expected to adapt and overcome, and perform with fewer errors and properly executed missions during the NOREs in mid-May and early June.

"We are in the midst of accomplishing and validating some new mission sets that in the past have not always been given proper attention," Colonel Griffith said. "After these NOREs are complete, we are going to be able to tell our national leadership that 2d BW has proven a new way to conduct these critical nuclear missions that are more reliable and give the president more options when it comes time to deal with those enemies who might threaten our country or our allies and friends."

After the June NORI, Barksdale should get back to the quarterly NOREs to maintain a consistent level of training and readiness. Until then, Colonel Basham says Airmen must stay focused on the task at hand.

"We have a lot to do for the upcoming inspection and it will be tough," Colonel Basham said. "To get through this, we'll all have to dig deep and find that one inspiration that always lifts us up and makes us push on. One thing I rely upon is the thought that I never know when the last exercise will come and when the nation will call upon the 2d BW to defend the freedom that we enjoy. When that day comes, I have no doubt the 2d BW will not falter and will not fail."