Readiness Inspection provides vital training for both inspectors and players Published Jan. 10, 2020 By By Staff Sgt. Nicole Wright 146th Airlift Wing Channel Islands Air National Guard Station, Port Hueneme, Calif. -- During the exercise a Wing Inspection Team (WIT) provided scenarios and simulations for the participants to respond and operate in, while evaluating the wing’s ability to successfully operate throughout the day. Scenarios included quick and correct responses to simulated CBRN Defense (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense), SOF (Special Ops Forces), and cyber attacks. Installation Emergency Manager for the 146 AW, U.S. Air National Guard Senior Master Sgt. Marc Trujillo participated in the early planning and execution of the exercise. He believes new airmen participating in the exercise for the first time will benefit from the new training process and that the wing is ready to perform during its graded evaluation next year. “For many wing members, this was their first exposure to this type of scenario, so those functional skills will need time and practice to become refined, that’s the true purpose of these exercises,” said Trujillo. “I believe we are going to be very capable of performing the primary tasking in a contested, degraded environment. In every training environment you discover there are some areas needing improvement and we have done that, but the exercise was beneficial in demonstrating to new airmen the application of what we practice every year,” said Trujillo. Trujillo who operated as the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Manager, oversaw the operations and information flow inside the EOC. Providing vital information to leadership in order for them to make informed decisions and recommendations to the Wing Commander. As the wing’s most senior subject matter expert in CBRN, Trujillo also effectively provided critical information to WIT members to ensure realistic scenarios for participants during the exercise. Director of Inspections for the 146 AW, U.S. Air National Guard 2nd Lt. Terri De Guzman attests to Trujillo’s statement, as she watched the WIT work closely with Trujillo during the exercise. “In preparation for the exercise he gave the WIT a really good idea of what to look for during the inspection. Acting as a trusted agent, his subject matter knowledge was integral to incorporating realism and benchmarks for the event,” said De Guzman. De Guzman added, “Functionally his oversight of CBRN and ATSO (Ability to Survive and Operate) provided vital information to new airmen preparing for the scenario based injects. He is a nationally recognized emergency response manager and is a regional chair for our region with decades of experience in the field. To say he is a very high valued asset in regards to training our airmen is an understatement.” Normally, readiness exercises would involve multiple wings lasting a week to include around-the-clock operations. However, changes in U.S. Air Force training and evaluations for these exercises shifted around 6 years ago. Currently, military bases in the Air National Guard are now expected to perform these exercises annually, which give Trujillo and the airmen participating more time to hone their training in time for the 146 AW’s evaluation scheduled for November 2020.
Readiness Inspection provides vital training for both inspectors and players Published Jan. 10, 2020 By By Staff Sgt. Nicole Wright 146th Airlift Wing Channel Islands Air National Guard Station, Port Hueneme, Calif. -- During the exercise a Wing Inspection Team (WIT) provided scenarios and simulations for the participants to respond and operate in, while evaluating the wing’s ability to successfully operate throughout the day. Scenarios included quick and correct responses to simulated CBRN Defense (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense), SOF (Special Ops Forces), and cyber attacks. Installation Emergency Manager for the 146 AW, U.S. Air National Guard Senior Master Sgt. Marc Trujillo participated in the early planning and execution of the exercise. He believes new airmen participating in the exercise for the first time will benefit from the new training process and that the wing is ready to perform during its graded evaluation next year. “For many wing members, this was their first exposure to this type of scenario, so those functional skills will need time and practice to become refined, that’s the true purpose of these exercises,” said Trujillo. “I believe we are going to be very capable of performing the primary tasking in a contested, degraded environment. In every training environment you discover there are some areas needing improvement and we have done that, but the exercise was beneficial in demonstrating to new airmen the application of what we practice every year,” said Trujillo. Trujillo who operated as the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Manager, oversaw the operations and information flow inside the EOC. Providing vital information to leadership in order for them to make informed decisions and recommendations to the Wing Commander. As the wing’s most senior subject matter expert in CBRN, Trujillo also effectively provided critical information to WIT members to ensure realistic scenarios for participants during the exercise. Director of Inspections for the 146 AW, U.S. Air National Guard 2nd Lt. Terri De Guzman attests to Trujillo’s statement, as she watched the WIT work closely with Trujillo during the exercise. “In preparation for the exercise he gave the WIT a really good idea of what to look for during the inspection. Acting as a trusted agent, his subject matter knowledge was integral to incorporating realism and benchmarks for the event,” said De Guzman. De Guzman added, “Functionally his oversight of CBRN and ATSO (Ability to Survive and Operate) provided vital information to new airmen preparing for the scenario based injects. He is a nationally recognized emergency response manager and is a regional chair for our region with decades of experience in the field. To say he is a very high valued asset in regards to training our airmen is an understatement.” Normally, readiness exercises would involve multiple wings lasting a week to include around-the-clock operations. However, changes in U.S. Air Force training and evaluations for these exercises shifted around 6 years ago. Currently, military bases in the Air National Guard are now expected to perform these exercises annually, which give Trujillo and the airmen participating more time to hone their training in time for the 146 AW’s evaluation scheduled for November 2020.