Photo By Staff Sgt. Charles Brock | U.S. Air Force pararescuemen with the 82nd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron hoist a...... read more read more
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By SrA John Macera
CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti –Service members with Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa participated in Bull Shark 24-2, a high-stakes, two-day exercise designed to test and refine communications and crisis response capabilities May 5-6, 2024, Djibouti, Africa.
This intensive exercise allowed for U.S. service members to collaborate with French, Spanish, and Djiboutian counterparts to rehearse rescuing military personnel and civilians from hostile environments.
"Anytime we can get a repetition with all the different players and all the different nations to be better at what we’re here for, I think it’s a good thing,” said U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Rich Webb, KC-130J pilot with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261, the aviation combat element stationed in the Horn of Africa.
The primary objective of Bull Shark 24-2 was to enhance collaboration and coordination among the participating nations during a crisis. Webb played a pivotal role in the marine search and rescue crew that transported an Air Force pararescue squadron off the coast of Djibouti to simulated casualties and hoist them to safety.
"We don’t want anyone to be stuck out anywhere for longer than they have to. That’s the PJ’s goal, that’s our goal, everyone around here works together,” said Webb. “If somebody needs help somewhere, we’re going to go.”
U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. David Law, loadmaster VMM-261 reinforced, participating in the bi-annual exercise for the second time proved invaluable. His experience helped him and his team navigate through rough waters.
"When it comes down to personnel recovery, especially in the water, it can get complicated fairly quickly with sea states and winds and such,” said Law. “Finding a person in the water can be fairly difficult as well. Making sure that you put the recovery package as close as possible to the personnel in the water is pretty critical so that once they’re in the water they have the visual range to be able to find them."
However, even on land, locating and rescuing isolated troops presents significant challenges. On the second day of Bull Shark 24-2, a combined team, including Soldiers from CJTF-HOA’s security augmentation, Task Force Paxton, fanned across the hills of Djibouti searching for survivors of a simulated plane crash. As they provided medical care to the wounded, the team faced another challenge: a simulated ambush, necessitating a rescue under relentless enemy fire. Once the dust settled and personnel were secured, the mission was complete, marking the culmination of months of coordination and planning.
"Hoist operations on both land and sea are risky endeavors, and we did it flawlessly," said U.S. Army Capt. Robert Kawczynski, exercise planning officer for CJTF-HOA. "I’m so proud of the team that came together to make this mission happen, and I think this will be very hard to top for next year.”
This comprehensive training and the lessons learned during Bull Shark 24-2 are vital for ensuring that U.S. and allied forces are prepared to respond swiftly and effectively to crises in the region, enhancing their capability to safeguard lives and maintain stability.
“It is important that we are able to communicate with our partners, build the team, fight and execute personnel recovery and crisis response at a moment’s notice,” said Kawczynski. “All sorts of people need help out there and we are ready to provide.”
| Date Taken: | 05.21.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 05.22.2024 04:08 |
| Story ID: | 471828 |
| Location: | DJ |
| Web Views: | 186 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Joint Training: Service members work together for Bull Shark 24-2, by SrA John Macera, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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