163d ATKW Airmen complete readiness training exercise

Photo By Staff Sgt. Javier Alvarez | Airmen of the 163d Civil Engineer Squadron, California Air National Guard, tear down tents and store equipment during exercise Grizzly Thunder 22-3, at the regional training site at March Air Reserve Base, California, May 14, 2022. Grizzly Thunder is a continuation of a deployment training exercise from late 2021, dubbed Grizzly Lightning, in which Airmen from across the 163d Attack Wing traversed a simulated conflict between a near peer adversary. The training not only enhances the Airmen’s combat readiness, it also enhances their domestic operations skillset. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Javier Alvarez)  

MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES

05.15.2022

Story by Staff Sgt. Javier Alvarez 

163d Attack Wing   

MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, Calif. – More than 370 California Air National Airmen assigned to the 163d Attack Wing participated in a wing wide readiness training exercise, May 12 to 14, 2022.

The exercise is a continuation of a deployment training exercise which took place in late 2021, said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Rey Tanuwidjaja, 163d Attack Wing, California Air National Guard, director of inspections. Grizzly Thunder 22-3, as it was labeled, was designed to test service member ability to rapidly respond to simulated attacks in a deployed environment from a near peer adversary using conventional and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear weapons. Events played out in the span of three days across three facilities.

The low static crackle from a disembodied voice, better known as the “Giant Voice,” announces the order to lower or elevate the Mission Oriented Protective Posture level. This call to action has Airmen don their suits, boots, gloves, or any other equipment necessary, and react accordingly.

The overarching scenario is written and carried out with input from the subject matter experts across each participating organization, said Tanuwidjaja. If service members are operating heavy equipment in a contested environment, there’s certain Tactics Techniques and Procedures that are involved in doing that. Inspectors rely on Wing Inspection Team members to effectively grade the tasks being done.

There’s a requirement for Air Force Wings to conduct readiness training exercises in some capacity yearly. Though it doesn’t always have be as large in scale.

At any point in the exercise Airmen don the well protected Mission Oriented Protective Posture suites designed to keep hazardous contaminants out. Airmen patrolled perimeters, operated heavy equipment, set up shelters, and fixed broken or malfunctioning equipment in the near triple digit temperatures. To add an elevated level of realism, some service members were selected to role-play as insurgents or casualties.

For the exercise, Meals Ready to Eat were issued for all Wing participants, said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Christina Shaw, 163d Force Support Squadron, California Air National Guard. The unit also set up a mobile kitchen and prepared hot meals for those service members who could safely make their way to dining hall.

“I like how they’re making it as realistic an experience as possible,” said Shaw. “These are possible scenarios we can encounter when we’re deployed. This is the first time in the fifteen years I’ve been in the unit where we’ve gone to this level of detail. Some of us don’t wear the uniform every day, and it’s important to get a refresher and exercise that muscle memory to complete our jobs in high stress situations.”

• Date Taken: 05.15.2022
• Date Posted: 05.15.2022 17:05
• Story ID: 420774
• Location: MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, CALIFORNIA, US