JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii — Team Hickam and tenant units conducted a Joint Base Readiness Exercise at various locations across the Hawaiian island chain, Feb. 28 - Mar. 9, 2023.
“The purpose of JBRE 23-01 was to assess the current state of readiness of the 15th Wing,” said Lt. Col. Stephen Raham, 15th Wing Inspector General. "Readiness exercises evaluate and validate the wing's current capabilities and state of preparedness.”
The 15th Wing aimed to enhance its readiness, joint partnership and people to better respond to potential contingencies in the region along with collaboration from the Hawaii Air National Guard, Air Mobility Command, U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. Pacific Air Forces units, U.S. Army Hawaii and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam partners.
“This exercise allowed participants to think through complex problem sets and test realistic solutions,” said Raham. “In addition, it allowed us to highlight areas to improve moving forward while identifying additional requirements.”
The exercise allowed personnel to become critically aware of the capabilities of the 15th Wing while highlighting the importance of the Indo-Pacific region in today's strategic environment.
Moreover, the austere environment at Base X allowed airmen to experience realistic combat operations. As a critical component of military readiness, this enabled personnel to prepare for the challenges they may face in actual combat situations.
“Phase I included force generation to support the 15th Wing’s most likely or worst-case scenario associated with Operational Plan execution,” said Raham. “The desired end state was the successful processing and departure of 100% of tasked cargo and personnel to the deployed location.”
Tech. Sgt. Zachary Hunn, 15th Wing, TRON Software developer, mentioned the importance of communication throughout Phase I and II for evaluators, leadership and inspection team members.
“We provided a secure messaging application for approximately 200 users. During the exercise, this channel allowed real-time updates to be passed quickly and proficiently whether members were at Base X, their work center or around the installation,” said Hunn.
During Phase II, the 15th Wing evaluated the participating units’ ability to deploy to high-threat areas and their ability to survive and operate during expected combat operations in a contested, degraded and operationally limited environment.
Tech. Sgt. Alexis Nawai, 647th Security Forces Squadron noncommissioned officer in charge of standardization evaluation, emphasized the critical component of training for her fellow defenders. "We are the first line of security needed everywhere, regardless of our location. This training prepares our members to deploy at a moment's notice.”
Airmen across the base were able to assist in shaping, seizing and utilizing their newly acquired skills in a realistic environment, many for the very first time.
"This was my first base exercise," said Senior Airman Dylan Gregorich, 647th Security Forces Squadron patrolman. "My peers on my flight trained me and others leading up to the exercise for multiple days with a variety of training topics. Their ability to take previous deployment experiences and scenarios into our training, allowed all airmen to execute the mission during the exercise."
The critical aspect of readiness throughout the exercise included the execution of Agile Combat Employment concepts and the refinement of proposed tactics, techniques and aircraft generation and sustainment at deployed locations.
Tech. Sgt. Michael Breyer, 647th Force Support Squadron noncommissioned officer in charge of community programs and planning, highlighted the importance of teamwork as his unit was tasked to prepare and serve more than 300 meals to airmen at Base X.
"Teamwork in these environments plays to the strength of each member of a team," said Breyer. "When one member is not fully experienced in a certain task, there's another airman or noncommissioned officer who can assist where needed. Additionally, we discovered teamwork through training helps to build the next multi-capable airmen, who will be the leaders we need for the future."
Lastly, a mass casualty response scenario was developed to evaluate the 15th Medical Group’s triage and medical evacuation capability.
The 15th Medical Group in partnership with U.S. Army 25th Combat Aviation Brigade were able to practice their response to wartime wounds, mass casualty, medical treatment and medical airlift support.
“Joint partnership allows our airmen to train and collaborate with our sister service counterparts,” said Master Sgt. Necita Aldan, 15th Healthcare Operations Squadron, Medical Readiness Flight Chief. "This validates interoperability, should our skills and resources need to be utilized during a real-world response. Additionally, employing our moulage capabilities for the hyper-realistic patient scenarios was key in assessing our medic’s ability to respond and provide care under pressure."
In light of the deployment readiness requirement, training airmen who possess the leadership skills necessary for the future is a priority for all units in the Pacific Air Forces.
“The execution of daily operations throughout the U.S. Indo-Pacific theater rests not just with the 15th Wing but with all branches of services and joint partners acting in unison,” said Raham.
The information from this exercise will help validate and inform senior leaders in the U.S. Indo-Pacific area of the responsibility of the command's readiness posture.
“Joint Exercises like this allow participating units to connect and understand how we can bolster each of our capabilities through our partnerships,” said Raham. “The insight gained from JBRE 23-01 will help hone the forces' focus on rapid force generation, continued operations in contested environments, and improve tactics, techniques and procedures across the USINDOPACOM AOR.”
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