U.S. Air Force Airman Basic Jeremy Franklin, 13th Aircraft Maintenance Unit crew member, prepares an F-16 Fighting Falcon for inspection before it leaves for an Aviation Training Relocation exercise, located in Guam, at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Jan. 11, 2013. The ATR program is designed to increase operational readiness and interoperability between American and Japanese forces. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kenna Jackson)
U.S. Air Force Capt. Jason Holmes, 13th Fighter Squadron assistant chief of standardization and evaluation, inspects an F-16 Fighting Falcon at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Jan. 11, 2013. During the inspection, Holmes looked for anything that was misplaced or improperly completed on the jet. Over 14 pilots from the 13 FS left Misawa for Guam to participate in the Aviation Training Relocation exercise. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Kenna Jackson)
William Wujciak, Civilian Joint Inspection inspector, looks over all cargo in Hangar 949 at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Jan. 14, 2013. Before sending the cargo to Guam for the Aviation Training Relocation exercise, all equipment is inspected and accounted for. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kenna Jackson)
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Alan Victor, 35th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron fuels systems maintainer, makes sure everything is accounted for before inspection in Hangar 949 at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Jan. 14, 2013. The Aviation Training Relocation exercise provides pilots and air crew members the opportunity to train with different weapon systems and test the their capabilities as a team. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kenna Jackson)
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Darrell Ingrum, 35th Maintenance Squadron support section NCO in charge, secures cargo at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Jan. 14, 2013. All equipment must be secure and accounted for before departure from the base. Over 68 tons of cargo was sent to Guam for pilot and crew members use during the Aviation Training Relocation Exercise. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kenna Jackson)
U.S. Air Force Capt. Scott Kotowski, 13th Fighter Squadron pilot, checks the maintenance logs for his F-16 Fighting Falcon before heading to Guam at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Jan. 18, 2013. The Aviation Training Relocation exercise is geared to enhance pilots’ and crew members’ combat skills. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kenna Jackson)
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Mark Desmond, 14th Aircraft Maintenance Unit dedicated crew chief, checks his technical orders while inspecting an F-16 Fighting Falcon at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Jan. 18, 2013. A maintainer’s technical orders are never far from their reach. It is their rule book and blue print for aircraft maintenance. Approximately 140 maintainers left with the 13 FS for Guam to participate in the Aviation Training Relocation exercise. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kenna Jackson)
U.S. Air Force Capt. Nate Lightfoot, 13th Fighter Squadron pilot, stores his bags away in the carrier of an F-16 Fighting Falcon before leaving for Guam at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Jan. 18, 2013. The Aviation Training Relocation exercise allows pilots to rate how their aircraft fare against rivals. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kenna Jackson)
U.S. Air Force Capt. Scott Kotowski, 13th Fighter Squadron pilot, steps into his F-16 Fighting Falcon at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Jan. 18, 2013. The 13 FS Panthers are leaving for an Aviation Training Relocation exercise in Guam. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kenna Jackson)
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Mark Desmond, 14th Aircraft Maintenance Unit dedicated crew chief, makes sure an F-16 Fighting Falcon is ready to leave for Guam at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Jan. 18, 2013. The end-of-runway inspection is a maintainer’s last look over a jet to ensure the safety of the pilot and the efficiency of the aircraft. For the next couple of weeks, over 180 people and approximately 14 jets were assigned to participate in an Aviation Training Relocation exercise. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kenna Jackson)
An F-16 Fighting Falcon taxis out to the runway at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Jan. 18, 2013. The 13th Fighter Squadron panthers left for an aviation training relocation exercise in Guam. While there, they will hone, develop and tweak combat tactics to ensure their combat skills. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kenna Jackson)
by Airman 1st Class Kenna Jackson
35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
1/18/2013 - MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- In the early afternoon of Jan. 18, 2013, 68 tons of cargo, over 140 maintainers and approximately 20 of the 13th Fighter Squadron's finest pilots left for Guam to participate in an Aviation Training Relocation exercise. According to Lt. Col. John McDaniel, 13 FS commander, one of the key Airmen who made this successful departure possible was Capt. Jason Holmes, 13 FS assistant chief of standardization and evaluation.
Although this was Holmes' first time planning out an ATR exercise, McDaniel said there was never a doubt in his mind that the captain would do the job exceptionally.
"I have a lot of good captains, so very little oversight is needed," said McDaniel. "I task them with a job and they only come back to me if there is a problem, which isn't often."
The ATR exercise is administered to give pilots and crew members the opportunity to increase operational readiness and interoperability between American and Japanese forces. Also, the program was made to reduce the impact of training on local communities surrounding U.S. and Japanese bases in Japan.
As the assistant project officer of the exercise, Holmes' main priorities were keeping to the schedule and maintaining good communication lines with other agencies and bases. Coordinating with the 35th Logistics Readiness Squadron installation deployment officer and the 35th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron weapons section chief were also essential to making sure everything ran smoothly.
Holmes took on the job as an assistant planner expecting it to run in a seemingly effortless manner. Not too long after he was assigned the job did he realize that was not the case.
"Planning an event like this is a lot harder than it looks. The scheduling portion of my job was, in one word, chaotic," said Holmes. "What we were doing and when we were going to do it was constantly evolving, making planning out the exercise a particularly tricky job to accomplish."
To combat this complication, Holmes used experiences from past and current job positions, such as planning a squadron change of command ceremony. He used his organizational skills as flight leader and his connections with the base weapons section to make things easier.
"For this project, my past experiences were what set me up for success," said Holmes. "I didn't freak out when I was told I would be tasked with this project. I kind of already knew what to do, what processes to follow. Most importantly, I knew who to go to if I didn't know something."
According to Holmes, his lack of hesitation to ask for help and ability to find answers to difficult questions were why he was chosen for the task.
"I believe that my experiences and organizational skills are why I was tasked to do this job," said Holmes.
"A lot of responsibility falls on the assistant project planner," said McDaniel.
According to the 13 FS commander, if Holmes was negligent in his duties, the 35th Fighter Wing wouldn't be able to participate in the exercise at all. So the fact that he held himself together and fought against the hectic scheduling proved he was the perfect man for the job.
"He really outdid himself," said McDaniel. "He has accomplished all of my expectations and, because of his diligence and dedication, our jets are ready to go with all of the weapons, tanker support and aircrew members we anticipated."
