MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - The 167th Airlift Wing conducted a readiness exercise at Shepherd Field Aug. 9-12 with Maryland, North Carolina and West Virginia Guard members.
As part of the Unit Effectiveness Inspection cycle, the exercise tested the wing’s ability to mobilize, operate and sustain its mission in degraded and contested environments with synchronized support from the 175th Air Wing of the Maryland National Guard, North Carolina National Guard’s 5th Battalion, 113th Field Artillery, West Virginia National Guard’s C. Company, 1-150th Assault Battalion, and the WVNG’s 167th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron of the 130th Airlift Wing.
“Bringing in training partners from other units and branches of service enhances our interoperability capabilities,” said Lt. Col. Tony Henry, 167th AW inspector general. “And with our robust wing inspection team, we were able to observe and assess the exercise from all angles, which gives our commanders the ground truth so they can see where they need to focus or refocus.”
Exercise participants, representing functions across the wing, were challenged to accomplish mission-essential tasks under simulated stressors and time constraints, testing their policies, plans and training.
The exercise scenario included more than 300 lines of injects, which drove the actions of the exercise.
Senior Master Sgt. Charlie Moore, one of the lead planners for the exercise, said the injects forced the unit’s Airmen to think creatively.
“The scenario successfully stressed the importance of communication, teamwork and problem-solving,” said Moore.
The wing carried out all aspects of its mission, including deployment processing, launching transport missions and defending the base. The wing also supported integrated combat turns with A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft and simulated munitions launches from High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems while overcoming simulated network and power outages, ground and air attacks and other disruptions and threats.
“This exercise offered realistic threat scenarios and it was accomplished safely,” Henry said. “From the newest Airmen to the most seasoned officers and NCOs, we all learned something from this.”
The wing will conduct another readiness exercise in April.