FORT LEONARD WOOD, Missouri -- The 4th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade utilized Springfield-Branson National Airport for a Sept. 30 Deployment Readiness Exercise, marking the unit's first to incorporate the airport since a formalized agreement was signed with the Fort Leonard Wood-based Waynesville-St. Robert Regional Airport.
The two Missouri airports signed the agreement earlier this year to become partners in emergency readiness.
Since assuming responsibility of its Defense Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Response Force mission last year, readiness exercises have been routinely conducted by the 4th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. The 4th MEB's DCRF mission, which continues through May, is to save lives and mitigate human suffering in a homeland chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear environment in support of the local, state and federal agencies that would respond in an actual disaster.
During DREs, troops are woken up and briefed on the mock situation once they are gathered. Soldiers go through organized steps throughout the day such as lining up military vehicles, going over movement plans, conducting initial assessments and filing through a series of stations set up to ensure that things such as medical requirements are up to date.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Dave Dutchuk, 4th MEB mobility warrant officer, said adding in the convoy to Springfield for the most recent exercise was crucial in giving the troops awareness of what would happen in an actual emergency.
Dutchuk referred to the old adage of "practice makes perfect," saying that conducting exercises like the recent one on a regular basis will make everyone more proficient.
"I believe we all learned different aspects of this mission from what we may have missed, what could have worked better, to what ran smooth and worked well," Dutchuk said.
Robert Eggers, an operations supervisor at Springfield-Branson National Airport, said the airport is ready to provide around the clock assistance as he showed a group of Soldiers a Wi-Fi equipped area, which can be used as a makeshift boardroom for mission planning.
"I don't think there's anything that you could bring here that we couldn't handle," Brian Weiler, Springfield-Branson National Airport's director of aviation, said.
The 4th MEB Soldiers most likely to utilize the airport if the brigade is called to provide assistance in an emergency comprise the Early Entry Command Post team, whose function would be to arrive at an incident site first in order to set up a command and control site until the rest of the brigade's troops arrive.
The brigade's mobility cell ensures flights and buses are slated to arrive while also serving as a liaison between the Air Force and Army for the flights. The cell also makes sure that everything sticks to the timeline and fix any issues that may arise in order to move on with the mission.
50th Multi-Role Bridge Company, 5th Engineer Battalion, also played a role as the outload support team, where they make sure the vehicles are inspected, paperwork is in order and then assist in fixing any deficiencies.
During the recent DRE, a pair of Airmen from the 573rd Global Support Squadron out of Travis Air Force Base, California, was on hand to train 4th MEB Soldiers on Joint Inspection Line procedures, which certify that the cargo is air worthy and safe.
"There are a lot of different moving pieces in an operation like this and not just one person can make this happen," Dutchuk said. "It's a team effort and I am very proud of my team and the other teams at the airport for their support, effort and having this mission a big success for everyone within the 4th MEB."
It wasn't just the 4th MEB Soldiers who were pleased to see Springfield-Branson National Airport utilized for an exercise.
"It meant a lot to us to do something like this," Weiler said.
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