Expeditionary readiness exercise keeps 100 Warriors ready for the fight

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Eydie Sakura
  • 341st Space Wing Public Affairs Office
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Roughly 100 Malmstrom Airmen participated in an expeditionary readiness exercise Aug. 13 to 17 at Camp Grizzly. 

The week-long deployment scenario showcased what Airmen might experience while at a deployed area of responsibility, and the exercise is designed to keep Warriors ready to fill their role in the Global War on Terrorism. 

"We're out here training and evaluating how we work together in a contingency environment," said. Lt. Col. Timothy Dodge, 341st Civil Engineer Squadron commander and exercise Survival Recovery Center director. "We'll concentrate our training on the write-ups the evaluation teams pointed out during past exercises and work to make sure we can operate the camp smoothly." 

The first two days of the exercise consisted of setting up tents, and making sure there was power and the basic necessities to run a forward-operating base. 

Tech. Sgt. Joey Jimenez, 341st Services Squadron dining facility manager, has a crew of nine Airmen on his team. He said their role at Camp Grizzly is diverse and changes depending on the needs of the exercise participants and scenarios. 

"Yesterday we provided hot meals to all the people training, but today we're offering [meals ready to eat]," Sergeant Jimenez said. "We also provide perimeter support to the base, lodging facilities and mortuary affairs. My team also sets up and tears down tents." 

At Camp Grizzly, Airmen tend to be a "jack-of-all-trades" and often find themselves learning and doing a different job - because in the end, the mission and the safety of the camp must get accomplished. 

Sitting behind a wall of sandbags is Airman 1st Class Alex Sekula, 341st CES. Normally his daily job entails running heavy equipment around base, but during the exercise, he is manning his post and guarding the camp's perimeter. 

"I'm defending a [defensive fighting position] post," he said. "I think it's good to do these types of scenarios because it teaches you how to 'challenge' people who are approaching the area. You need to know what it's like to differentiate between hostile forces and friendly forces because you never know if you'll have to use it at a deployed location." 

Tech. Sgt. Jeff Sherman, 341st Missile Security Forces Squadron flight chief, was on-hand at one of the DFPs to make sure perimeter guards were learning the skills and enforcing the standards, since most of the exercising post guards were not security forces Airmen. 

"There are about 10 of us from security forces who came out here to help augment the evaluation team today," Sergeant Sherman said. "We are helping them map out anything that might be in [the DFP guard's] line of fire. Then they'll bring that grid back to the command post and a schematic diagram of the exercise area will be made." 

The exercise area is located deep within the gates of Malmstrom and the exercise replicates what it might be like working at the Baghdad International Airport with a fully functioning runway. The exercise simulates mortar attacks and on-scene airfield damage assessment, down computer network lines, protestors at Camp Grizzly's main gate, as well as standing up a rapid runway repair team. 

"[The exercise] injects tests how we react to a command and control environment," Colonel Dodge said. "Whatever the [evaluation team] throws at us, we'll make sure we can operate and repel further attacks."