Preparing our finest

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Cody Dowell
  • Altus Air Force Base Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. – --  The call went out, the gates closed and Airmen on base were ready to respond. Altus Air Force Base conducted an active shooter and perceived radiological threat training exercise Dec. 5-7, 2016.

The exercise was a multi-day event that tested response procedures and improved communication between units. These exercises take time, planning and people for it to all come together.

“Everything we do for an exercise is based on plans and requirements,” said James Jones, 97th Inspector General inspection specialist. “We don’t plan for something bad to happen, exercises are just one of the things we do so we are prepared in case an event occurs.”

It took the combined efforts of several subject matter experts from different units to fully plan out the exercise so it could prepare Airmen all around the base.

“Planning an exercise is an eight week process that looks into what has been accomplished before, real world events and Air Force instructions on who will play a role,” said Jones. “Security forces, fire department, Office of Special Investigation, anti-terrorism officer and intel flight all played a part in the initial planning for this exercise.”

Part of the reason that planning an exercise takes a lot of time and people is that exercises have multiple goals to accomplish.

“Exercises are not a single task that can be accomplished by an individual unit,” said Jones. “We combine several things that we would need to practice that would tie into each other for the bigger picture. For this exercise we combined active shooter, radiological threat, force protection condition measures and active barriers.”

There are numerous kinds of exercises that Altus AFB can perform. The different types include active shooter, aircraft hijacking, aircraft accidents, fuel spills, severe weather, radiological threat, deployment and many others. It is important that the base practices all of them because the response varies for each event.

“Exercises are an essential part of the Air Force, we need to practice them so the first time we activate them is not during an actual event,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Pete McClellan, 97th Air Mobility Wing inspection team manager. “Practicing allows us to find where there are weaknesses, where we could emphasize more training and if more time is required. Exercises validate the process and whether they need to be changed or that they are in good condition. Some exercises prepare us and the members of Altus AFB for expeditionary tasking. Even though Airmen might not utilize those skills here, implementing them to contingency operations overseas could be lifesaving. Practicing those skills and reviewing the plans are essential to our safety.”

Practicing exercises prepares the Airmen of Altus AFB for real events that could happen here or down range. It creates the opportunity for fully testing plans, whether they work or if they could be improved upon. Overall, exercises benefit everyone by improving the knowledge and safety of the members on base.