Barksdale concludes readiness exercise

  • Published
  • By Airman Allison Boehm
  • 2d Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  The July 2008 conventional operational readiness exercise here ended with several hundred personnel and over 20 tons of cargo processed for multiple airlift missions. The CORE tests the 2d Bomb Wing's initial response after receiving a tasking. It also shows how the wing employs its forces, provides mission support to those forces, and its ability to survive and operate in a combat environment.

Although we deploy forces from Barksdale all the time, according to Master Sgt. Jonny Taylor, 2d BW evaluations and inspections superintendent, this exercise gives the wing, as a whole, a chance to participate.

"The CORE provides a realistic test of our 2d BW required mission sets in support of combatant commander war plans whether it is (Pacific Command, Central Command, or African Command)," he said.

The purpose is also to demonstrate the wing's ability to transition from peacetime readiness to its wartime position.

"The wing did very well with its personnel and cargo processing actions," said 1st Lt. Nicholas Lee, base installation deployment officer. "The base has a robust and flexible system in place to efficiently get our combat capability out the door. However, it is a system that needs to be exercised frequently and all personnel who deploy need to stay smart and current in the pre-deployment actions and requirements"

As part of this training, held July 7 through 11, numerous force protection exercises accomplished by the 2d Security Forces Squadron were implemented to test and evaluate the wing's physical security procedures.

According to Sergeant Taylor,communication and control were excellent during this exercise.

"I got a chance to see the deployment control center in action," he said. "I didn't realize all that went on behind the scenes to get our people and cargo out of town. They really impressed me. We (the inspectors) are still collecting data to compile the final report but I believe the wing did well."

The next CORE, scheduled November 13 through 21, will be both phase I and phase II and will be the wing's first full-up rehearsal for the Air Combat Command inspector general inspection in March 2009, said Col. Paul Griffith, director of wing plans, programs and exercises. It will combine the phase I actions of this recent CORE that focused on deployment readiness with the phase II requirements of operating at a forward operating location.

These operations will focus on maintaining and flying combat sorties in an exercise setting that will test the wing personnel's ability to survive and operate in a chemical, biological or other harmful environment. It will also include a phase II which will evaluate the ability to perform wartime or contingency missions.

"You can expect a more robust and larger scale exercise," said Sergeant Taylor. "Even though our Global Deterrence mission has changed, we still conduct our conventional mission basically the same as we always have."

The conventional operational readiness inspection is scheduled for March 2009.