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After years of planning, preparation and training the 166th Airlift Wing (AW) at the New Castle Delaware Air National Guard Base performed the Air Mobility Command (AMC) graded exercise “Operation Gemini” during June’s Regularly Scheduled Drill, (RSD) 2022, aimed to demonstrate the unit’s Total Force Readiness as well as its ability to operate effectively during the harsh challenges in an overseas deployment.
The Operation Gemini exercise spanned across the entire Delaware Air National Guard Base where various simulated threats such as fires and opposing forces on foot and in air including Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive attacks (CBRNE) while Guardsmen were tasked to carry out force protection, medical response, fire elimination and evacuation procedures. To combat CBRNE attacks Guardsmen utilize Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) Gear to maintain 100% functionality on base.
Security Forces personnel responded to and prevented base breaches from opposing forces in different areas and facilities. "Our unit's role is to protect base personnel and assets [by providing] secure base access points and [responding] to neutralize threats as needed” said 166th AW Security Forces Squadron Leader TSgt. Robert Kranz. The various challenges that Kranz and his team faced serve as a reminder that total force readiness is of the utmost importance. "Our Security Forces Airmen have been trained to handle a variety of threats and this exercise affords them the opportunity to showcase their ability to react and respond to threats effectively and to hone their skills to respond to potential threats in the future.” The dual status nature of the “Citizen Airmen” in the Air National Guard means that everyone has that much more to offer the group from their professional experience outside of the military. Kranz believes this will help Airmen in this training and in the future “We are looking forward to showcasing our unit's wealth of knowledge garnered through years of experience in the civilian law enforcement, prior military experience in each of the branches of the Armed Forces and multiple Air Force Security Forces deployments.”
In April 2022 the 166th AW Civil Engineering Squadron (CES) Fire Department (FDP) was awarded the 2021 Air National Guard Fire Department of the Year Award. “This award was very competitive against all Air National Guard units in the United States,” said Assistant Chief of Training for the 166th CES FDP MSgt Michael Berth. “This is a big deal and under the leadership of Fire Chief James Knightly, we have achieved this award within a few years.” During Operation Gemini firefighters combined their knowledge of fire protection and CBRNE threats to properly respond. Berth acknowledges the additional challenges that Guardsmen face in exercises like Operation Gemini but he still holds them to a high standard, especially coming off such a prestigious award. “The fire department will be [tested] on our knowledge of different CBRN MOPP levels and quickly and efficiently exchanging from lower MOPP levels to higher MOPP levels [to the] eventual combination of MOPP 4 and wearing structural firefighting gear,” said Berth. For normal firefighting operations Guardsmen carry a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) on their backs which weighs around 11 pounds in addition to this firefighters wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that weighs in at 45 pounds. PPE protects firefighters from threats they face while responding to crisis, the gear works as an insulator; while temperatures on the outside increase the gear will reach up to 160 degrees on the inside. During this simulation Guardsmen will don their traditional PPE with additional MOPP gear that weighs 15 pounds ,insulating even more heat. Berth spoke on these challenges “ This difficult and challenging operation is taxing but is required [to maintain] Air Force standards. We will need to perform all firefighting skills for a structural emergency or aircraft emergency in full MOPP gear plus [with] the firefighting gear applied. Some of our firefighting skills are to rescue victims, perform search and rescue tactics, advance hose lines into a structure fire as well as ventilation, salvage and overhaul operations. All of these mentioned skills are done while in MOPP 4 with PPE worn.” The services provided by the 166th Fire Department include: fire suppression, hazardous materials response, emergency medical response, aircraft rescue and technical rescue while providing command and control. The fire department services the aircraft, airfield, buildings on base and all military personnel. As Berth said “We are [one of] the primary 9-1-1 for the 166th Airlift Wing.”
The 166th AW works at a state and federal level no matter how ambitious the task. Total Force Readiness remains as one of the top priorities for the Delaware Air National Guard. Across all units Operation Gemini proved to be an opportunity to show the resiliency of the “Citizen Airmen” in the Delaware Air National Guard.
| Date Taken: | 06.07.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 06.07.2022 15:59 |
| Story ID: | 422384 |
| Location: | NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE, US |
| Web Views: | 107 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Delaware Air National Guardsmen Enhance Readiness through Air Mobility Command graded Exercise, by SSgt Brandan Hollis, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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