JOINT BAE LANGLEY EUSTIS, Va. –
During real-world, contingency operations, joint military forces often comprised of the U. S. Air Force, U. S. Army and U. S. Air Force Reserves join forces to move personnel, cargo and equipment to wherever they may be needed in support of the designated mission. Members of the 633rd Logistics Readiness Squadron, the 690th Rapid Port Opening Element and the 71st Aerial Port Squadron recently put that scenario to the test as they participated in a joint, contingency-training exercise held at Joint Base Langley Eustis.
The joint force, totaling more than 100 members,- worked together in blistering, 90-degree plus heat at Fort Eustis from Aug. 4 through Aug. 6, 2011, to set up a marshalling yard, and practiced inspecting and processing a large variety of Army vehicles and equipment. They also processed passengers and containerized / palletized cargo just like they would in an actual real-world, contingency operation.
Chief Master Sgt. Chris Alston, the 71st APS operations superintendent and the 633rd LRS chief of air terminal operations, spear-headed the planning and execution of the entire training exercise. According to him, the purpose of the training was to develop a realistic, joint-deployment exercise with 690th Rapid Port Opening Element, 71st APS and 633rd LRS Passenger Movement Section personnel with the intent of making future, real-world deployments a seamless operation.
"During the exercise, all agencies involved worked together to form an intricate team in an effort to make the training a success," explained Alston. "The interaction between the units proved to be very beneficial as they learned to work together to perform passenger, cargo, vehicle and equipment in-check and processing."
The troops under his direction included a 65-member team from the 71 APS and six active-duty air transportation personnel from the 633rd LRS LGRDA. They were responsible for transporting vehicles and equipment to Fort Eustis, and setting up a marshalling yard to inspect the Army's equipment to ensure it was properly prepared for military airlift.
"Our reservists constantly train to be able to perform this type of operation, and of course our active-duty counterparts actually do this all the time," explained Alston. "We planned this exercise in order for us to take advantage of each other's expertise in an effort to hone our skills. The scenario was designed to allow us to train, practice and improve upon the 2T2 skill-set by introducing real, Army deployment equipment and personnel to simulate a true pre-deployment event."
Processing rolling stock such as Humvees, trucks and other wheeled vehicles in a timely and efficient manner is always an important factor in the joint-inspection process involving air-terminal personnel and the unit being moved. Utilizing the state-of-the-art LS700 Portable Weigh-in-Motion scale, members of the 633rd LRS LGRDA were able to process the Army unit's rolling stock more efficiently than by using portable scales to weigh each wheel of a vehicle in order to calculate axle weights and gross vehicle weights. Those weights are then used to calculate the center of balance for each piece of rolling stock.
Staff Sgt. Andrew Sandekian, with the 633rd LRS, explained the LS700 allows vehicles to be weighed dynamically as they are driven over a system of pads at three - seven mph without stopping. Within 15 seconds the scale system displays axle weights and gross-vehicle weights.
"The system automatically starts the digital-weighing algorithm and processes the data quickly to determine the most exact information," said Sandekian. "What this means to the process is a faster way of processing vehicles in order to get the mission completed."
The 690th RPOE, the Army component taking part in the exercise, was comprised of a 55-man team of vehicle operators, material-handling, equipment operators and cargo documenters. According to 2nd Lt. Hunter Cantrell, 690th RPOE transportation officer, the exercise provided an excellent opportunity for his troops to practice what they would do if they were ordered to deploy in support of an actual contingency operation anywhere in the world.
"This is a win-win situation for us because it provides an excellent opportunity for our junior enlisted troops who haven't participated in joint inspections before to learn the process," said Cantrell. "It is also good practice for staging drivers and equipment, as well as a test of how well we prepare our equipment for processing."
During the exercise, 21 passengers and 26 increments totaling 134 tons were processed by Air Force personnel and inspected with the Army before being loaded on four simulated aircraft chalks. All parties involved in the exercise agreed the overall objective of fostering a working relationship between the active duty, including the Air Force and Army, and the reservists was achieved. The 690th RPOE was able to practice preparing its equipment and personnel for rapid deployment. Air Force personnel also benefitted by being able to hone the skills they need to be able to accept, inspect, load plan and load equipment and personnel for airlift aboard a variety of military aircraft.
Alston said future training exercises will probably be conducted at Langley and will incorporate many of the lessons learned during this exercise.