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188th Mission Support Group 'gears up' for exercise

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Cody Martin
  • 188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
FORT SMITH, Ark. --  Members of the Air National Guard are trained to always be ready for any combat scenario that could take place. To be prepared, there are various exercises that Guardsmen must undergo. One such exercise members of the 188th Fighter Wing participated in to ready themselves was an ability to survive and operate exercise at Ebbing Air National Guard Base, June 2.

The exercise was operated primarily by the 188th Mission Support Group and Command Post, which assisted with mission-oriented protective posture levels and alarm conditions. Group members went through heightened security procedures, as well as attack scenarios and post-attack reconnaissance drills.

"We're basically looking out for everyone," said Tech. Sgt. Jessica Wilson, an equipment manager with the 188th Logistics Readiness Squadron. "We're making sure that everyone has everything on our checklist, making sure that everyone keeps hydrated, checking for any suspicious activity and keeping a log of everyone going in and out. We go through our Airman's manual reading when we have condition changes."

The exercise set a foundation for what the Airmen did and did not know. It also provided experience that members hope to build upon for any disaster that may occur.

"This exercise set a good baseline," said Chief Master Sgt. Ronald Redding, installation emergency manager. "It showed some holes that we need to correct, and in every exercise that's what you're looking for."

One common difficulty that occurs in an ATSO exercise is communication. When in full MOPP gear, difficulty speaking with one another is evident almost immediately. This was an area the Guardsmen had to overcome, as well as the wearing of their equipment and each of the teams' operations.

"There are always communication problems," Redding said. "Not everyone is going to hear every message, that's always pretty much number one. Wear of the equipment properly, command and control, contamination avoidance, decontamination, all the specialized teams that are put together are other areas which we need to work on."

Participants within the exercise showed how difficult it was to perform their usual daily tasks, such as ordering aircraft parts.

"It's a little bit harder because we've got the gloves on," said Master Sgt. Elizabeth Beckman, flight service center supervisor in LRS. "I've got to type and print documents for my job so it's a little harder to pull everything off."

Many Guardsmen believe this exercise provided training that was crucial to the development of Airmen and saw the need for more exercises like it. With more training, Airmen can be ready for any combat scenario that could take place, whether it provides a new experience to members that haven't trained as much for a possible chemical attack or to retrain more experienced members.

"With new positions and new personnel, training is a big key," said Master Sgt. Lanette Hunt, exercise evaluator. "Everyone should have that training to fall back on. Everyone needs to know how to put on MOPP gear and know their Airman's manual. The people coming in will get more familiar with it. They're going to be moving up when we move out."

188th Mission Support Group 'gears up' for exercise

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Cody Martin
  • 188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
FORT SMITH, Ark. --  Members of the Air National Guard are trained to always be ready for any combat scenario that could take place. To be prepared, there are various exercises that Guardsmen must undergo. One such exercise members of the 188th Fighter Wing participated in to ready themselves was an ability to survive and operate exercise at Ebbing Air National Guard Base, June 2.

The exercise was operated primarily by the 188th Mission Support Group and Command Post, which assisted with mission-oriented protective posture levels and alarm conditions. Group members went through heightened security procedures, as well as attack scenarios and post-attack reconnaissance drills.

"We're basically looking out for everyone," said Tech. Sgt. Jessica Wilson, an equipment manager with the 188th Logistics Readiness Squadron. "We're making sure that everyone has everything on our checklist, making sure that everyone keeps hydrated, checking for any suspicious activity and keeping a log of everyone going in and out. We go through our Airman's manual reading when we have condition changes."

The exercise set a foundation for what the Airmen did and did not know. It also provided experience that members hope to build upon for any disaster that may occur.

"This exercise set a good baseline," said Chief Master Sgt. Ronald Redding, installation emergency manager. "It showed some holes that we need to correct, and in every exercise that's what you're looking for."

One common difficulty that occurs in an ATSO exercise is communication. When in full MOPP gear, difficulty speaking with one another is evident almost immediately. This was an area the Guardsmen had to overcome, as well as the wearing of their equipment and each of the teams' operations.

"There are always communication problems," Redding said. "Not everyone is going to hear every message, that's always pretty much number one. Wear of the equipment properly, command and control, contamination avoidance, decontamination, all the specialized teams that are put together are other areas which we need to work on."

Participants within the exercise showed how difficult it was to perform their usual daily tasks, such as ordering aircraft parts.

"It's a little bit harder because we've got the gloves on," said Master Sgt. Elizabeth Beckman, flight service center supervisor in LRS. "I've got to type and print documents for my job so it's a little harder to pull everything off."

Many Guardsmen believe this exercise provided training that was crucial to the development of Airmen and saw the need for more exercises like it. With more training, Airmen can be ready for any combat scenario that could take place, whether it provides a new experience to members that haven't trained as much for a possible chemical attack or to retrain more experienced members.

"With new positions and new personnel, training is a big key," said Master Sgt. Lanette Hunt, exercise evaluator. "Everyone should have that training to fall back on. Everyone needs to know how to put on MOPP gear and know their Airman's manual. The people coming in will get more familiar with it. They're going to be moving up when we move out."