2d Bomb Wing participates in 4th CORE this year

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Allison M. Boehm
  • 2d Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AFB, La. --  
The Mighty Deuce completed its fourth Conventional Operational Readiness Exercise this year July 14. During the exercise 557 personnel were tasked, 281 short tons of cargo were deployed and six B-52s were generated in a 24-hour time period. 

The Phase I CORE executed a scenario that allowed the 2d Bomb Wing to be evaluated on its ability to perform assigned operational tasking while demonstrating safety, sense of urgency, teamwork and effective communication. 

"A CORE is truly a team effort," said Master Sgt. Jon Wilkens, Superintendent of Evaluations and Inspections, 2d BW Inspector General office. "It takes all different career fields and Airmen to make a short-notice deployment tasking work like a well-oiled machine. We practice these things over and over to ensure we are proficient when it really matters, when the tasking is real world." 

During the CORE, Airmen tasked to prepare themselves to deploy and the 2d Logistic Readiness Squadron was their first stop to acquire equipment necessary for deployment. 

"Our main job here at 2d LRS is to ensure everyone receiving a bag has everything that is required in it and ensure they are ready to deploy," said Staff Sgt. Dolores Gonzales, 2d LRS mobility. "We issue out mobility, cold weather, chemical warfare, modified and sleeping gear bags as well as (individual body armor) and weapons for real deployments - everything needed for deployment purposes, so how we run the CORE here is almost identical to a real deployment. This practice is very important." 

During this CORE, 2d LRS Airmen and augmentees from various units on base work 12-hour shifts to ensure all deployment personnel are equipped with all required deployment gear. According to Sergeant Gonzales, their part of the exercise went well, streamlining the gear issuing process to process 50-80 personnel with their bags in less than 50 minutes. 

Once the tasked deployment personnel received their bags, the gear is handed off to other 2d LRS Airmen whose part in the CORE was to build pallets. 

As cargo pallets were constructed and prepared to deploy to a forward operating location, more than 400 personnel processed through the personnel deployment function line. 

The PDF line is the last set of eyes for the commander to ensure the deployers are 100 percent ready and eligible to go. 

Members on the PDF line check for eligibility, training records, identification cards as well as, medical, finance and legal documents. The chaplain and member from the Airman and Family Readiness Center also are present. 

Meanwhile, on the flightline, Airmen worked to ensure tasked aircraft were generated and ready to go for deployment to a designated Base X. Crew chiefs, weapons loaders, avionic specialists and others worked against the clock to reconfigure aircraft for what the mission dictated. "Exercises like this are important so we can prepare to deploy," said Maj. Shawn Gander, Chief of Wing Exercises and Evaluations. "It's like practicing for a Super Bowl you can't go into the big game without practicing all types of plays, or in our case different scenarios. This keeps us proficient so we can execute when it matters most." 

Once the aircraft reached Base X, they were regenerated to their weapons in a combat scenario . 

"This CORE was a little different than the ones in the past," said Major Gander. "This time, there was a directed generation at the end to train on our other capabilities. If we don't keep up our skills, they're lost. Everything is perishable, so it's imperative to keep doing these over and over." 

More than 800 Airmen from every group on base whether maintainers, operators, supporters, wing staff or medical participated to make this CORE possible. Many units work 12-hour shifts to ensure the 2 BW is ready to deploy at a moment's notice.