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Grand Forks trains for worldwide crisis scenario

  • Published
  • By Capt. Michael Chillstrom
  • 319th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  As tensions around the globe quickly rose last week, Grand Forks Air Force Base prepped to have its KC-135 Stratotankers in action when called upon. 

Fortunately, the words "Exercise, exercise, exercise" accompanied this doomsday scenario, meaning that this worldwide contingency was not a real-world event. 

The Oct. 17-18 exercise, dubbed '8044,' gave wing leaders the chance see the base's operational and support elements function during a time of crisis. 

"The 8044 exercise hones the wing's ability to provide a ready force to the president for dealing with major international threats," said Capt. Chris Vecchione, Chief of Wing Operations Plans. "The exercise gave all agencies an ability to practice generating the wing's aircraft for a quick response to a national emergency." 

Although the wing practiced many scenarios during the summer's Operational Readiness Inspection period, many key players have since moved on. The 8044 exercise was the first time many new personnel have participated in an exercise, here. 

The base Inspector General office, which began planning the 8044 in August, ensured the exercise tested a wide range of personnel and skills. 

"We tried to come up with thought provoking scenarios for the leadership, present necessary servicing training to both aircrew and maintainers, and to give our Airmen in the Command Post an opportunity to work out a comm-out plan," said Maj. Adrian Byers, Deputy Inspector General. 

The IG and Exercise Evaluation Team saw many encouraging signs throughout the exercise. 

"The base did exceptionally well," Major Byers said. "There will always be areas for improvement and processes that could be re-evaluated for efficiency, but above all, the wing did very well." 

Following the exercise, IG and EET compiled their evaluations and presented the findings to senior wing leaders. 

For the exercise planners, the 8044 was more than just a training opportunity; it was a chance for all Airmen to better understand how they fit into the overarching wing mission.
"We're here to support the airplanes on the ramp and the mission," said Mr. Bud Verdi, 8044 Operations Branch supervisor. "That's why we do these exercises - to evaluate the wing's response in times of crises and see where we have to better prepare ourselves. We're looking for our weaknesses so we can go back, correct them and make sure they don't happen again."