Photo By Master Sgt. Eugene Silvers | U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Duke Pirak, right, Air National Guard deputy director, poses...... read more read more
JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. -- Airmen from the 192nd Support Squadron, 192nd Wing, Virginia Air National Guard, demonstrated the capabilities of their new mobile kitchen, the Expandable Single Pallet Expeditionary Kitchen, during the cookies for congressional delegates event Sept. 6, 2024, at the Air National Guard Congressional Day.
The E-SPEK is an upgraded mobile kitchen that fits on a standard aviation cargo pallet that can be set up in less than two hours to feed more than 500 people. The E-SPEK is easily transportable, maneuverable and fuel-efficient.
During the ANG Congressional Day, Airmen used the convection oven in the E-SPEK to bake cookies for the congressional delegates, adjutant generals and staffers in attendance to learn about the ANG's assets and capabilities.
“The E-SPEK, a Guard-only asset, is a deployable asset with the team and is AFSC [Air Force specialty code] specific,” explained Senior Master Sgt. Juan E. Ortiz, 192nd Force Support Flight services superintendent. “If a unit wants to request the E-SPEK, the team goes with it.”
Complete with a convection oven, a griddle, a silent skillet and more, Airmen can roast, grill, bake, steam, stew and prepare Unitized Group Rations. Insulated appliances and exhaust hoods maintain a comfortable environment for the Airmen.
Along with demonstrating the elite capabilities of the E-SPEK, the event also served as an opportunity for the VaANG to collaborate with the D.C. Air National Guard’s 113th Wing. Airmen from the 113th Wing were provided hands-on experience and familiarization with installing and using appliances in the E-SPEK.
“This mobile kitchen allows us to be flexible in the field,” said Tech. Sgt. Jalen Harris, 192nd FSF services team member. “In the grand scheme of things, this allows us to still provide food and support wherever we are. There is limitless potential.”
The agility of movement and rapidly deployable features of the E-SPEK support the U.S. Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment and Homeland Operations doctrine. The E-SPEK is available to support a variety of missions and disaster relief operations.
“It just made sense,” said Mr. Robert Kaczorowski, domestic operations analyst at the National Guard Bureau. “It’s deployable, agile and can go anywhere, anytime, anyplace.”
The acquisition of the E-SPEK coincides with the ANG’s priority to maximize readiness by equipping Airmen with modern and innovative solutions to be prepared, effective and always ready. The NGB’s goal is for every Air Guard wing to have an E-SPEK.
| Date Taken: | 09.12.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.12.2024 14:20 |
| Story ID: | 480703 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE ANDREWS, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 343 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Cookies for Congress: A taste of E-SPEK innovation, by 2nd Lt. Delmy Hernandez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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