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About Exercises: A Message from the Commander
Posted 7/6/2011 Updated 7/6/2011
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Commentary by Col. Michael Rothstein
35 Fighter Wing Commander
7/6/2011 - MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- The mission of the 35th Fighter Wing is to provide world-wide deployable combat forces, to protect U.S. interests in the Pacific and defend Japan with sustained forward presence, and to provide focused mission support. Operational readiness exercises (OREs) are an important part of our mission training and allow us to focus on many of the skill sets we don't get to practice on a daily basis.
While we have several types of exercises, our OREs are normally either an Initial Response Readiness Exercise, or IRRE (we pronounce it like the word eerie) or a Combat Employment Readiness Exercise, or CERE (rhymes with IRRE). These are also often referred to as a Phase 1 and Phase 2, respectively. Sometimes we do these separately at 3-4 days each, and sometimes we combine them into one longer 7-8 day exercise.
In an IRRE we are primarily practicing our ability to deploy for major combat operations. We do this by deciding which particular Airmen, equipment and supplies need to go based on a given scenario. We also have to pack up and prioritize the order everything should flow based on available airlift and mission requirements. Our major effort is to ensure our F-16s are 100-percent ready and configured for combat. We also ensure our Airmen are medically ready to deploy, have the right uniforms and gear, and are prepared administratively with orders, emergency contact info, wills, etc.. Finally, we simulate deploying those forces via cargo airlift to scenario-driven combat locations while we also practice our ability to receive and integrate forces that might come to Misawa.
In a CERE we practice our ability to launch, fly, recover and fix F-16s at a sustained surge rate in a combat scenario. Of course Airmen in our medical and mission support disciplines are simultaneously exercising skills they would use in a combat environment. This includes things such as rapid runway repair, casualty processing and personnel replacement, base defense, and searching for and disabling unexploded ordnance. Typically we do this from a simulated forward location we call "Base X." Since it would be impractical to have the entire base be simulated to be at Base X, we mark specific exercise play and non-play areas and facilities. We also practice ATSO - or our "Ability to Survive and Operate" under combat conditions to include simulated enemy attacks. In all of this, command and control across the entire wing is an essential skill on which we focus.
No matter the name, these exercises mean different things to different people.
To our Airmen, exercises may mean unique training opportunities, longer work hours and an increased amount of stress as we demonstrate our ability to respond to contingencies. (To the baristas at Café Aomori, this means a boost in business)!
To families not directly involved in training, it may mean limited parking at the exchange, more jet noise, or a change in hours at our fitness centers as our Force Protection Conditions change.
To leadership, exercises serve as a chance to practice command and control and to see if their tactics are working. They also provide a chance to see, first-hand, how their Airmen react under different circumstances.
To me, each time we conduct an exercise, it means we'll be more confident this wing will be ready to respond to our nation when called.
As I look to ensure we are fully mission ready, you can expect these types of exercises to continue on a regular basis. We are also preparing for a higher headquarters inspection of our operational readiness, so we will pay particular attention to ensure we can demonstrate the confidence I have in this wing to the inspection team.
I know exercises pose temporary inconveniences. I've heard concerns about how they disrupt our day-to-day routines while living and working at Misawa. But, to those who believe we "exercise too much," I offer a different view.
Exercises are not some periodic inconvenience we have to endure. When not engaged in combat or supporting real-world crisis, training to respond is the number one thing we should be doing every day. I honestly attribute a large portion of this installation's great response in the wake of 11 March 2011 to the training we accomplished in exercises prior to that. The scenario was very different, but the underlying training and discipline from exercising paid huge dividends.
Thanks for your support and understanding as we continue to sharpen our warfighting skills during exercises. America is counting on us to be great at our mission and the stakes are too high to let our country down.
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