Photo By Airman 1st Class Sarah Hoover | Maryland Air National Guard Airman Faith Anderson, emergency management specialist,...... read more read more
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MIDDLE RIVER, Md. - Airmen from the Maryland Air National Guard hosted a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear response exercise with regional partners at two Maryland National Guard training locations, September 24-28, 2024.
The Region 3 Battlefield Experience Learning (R3BEL) deployment for training exercise, a local training event that enhanced emergency readiness and response within a simulated deployed environment, took place at the 70th Regiment Regional Training Institute, Aberdeen Proving Ground in Edgewood, Maryland, and Blum Military Reservation in Glen Arm, Maryland.
A total of 30 participants from 11 emergency management flights from the Air National Guard and Air Reserves contributed to the exercise to strengthen relationships between units within the region, including a team of Maryland airmen from the 175th Wing.
“There was a lot of behind-the-scenes planning, coordinating, and preparation that happened before we got to the smooth and fun training experience our attendees enjoyed,” said Maryland Air National Guard Senior Master Sgt. Jennifer Blood, the installation emergency manager for the 175th Wing, who organized and led the exercise. “Due to the wonderful cadre team we put together and the emergency management personnel arriving with an open mind ready to train, it was a very successful week.”
In collaboration with others in the FEMA designated Region 3 units, the exercise focused on a series of training scenarios in which airmen could test their capabilities in the event of unexpected deployment emergency management challenges while wearing the chemical suits.
“We bring different flights from Region 3 and the surrounding area where we can come together and experience some training together in more of a localized setting,” said West Virginia Air National Guard Master Sgt. Glynn Willard, readiness and emergency management flight chief for the 130th Airlift Wing in Charleston, West Virginia, and one of the cadres for the exercise. “We go over some of our annual training that we do, as well as get some hands-on time out there in the field, in a simulated, deployed environment.”
Participating teams from units in the FEMA’s Region 3 included Air National Guardsmen from Maryland’s 175th Wing, both West Virginia’s 130th Airlift Wing and 167th Airlift Wing, D.C.’s 113th Fighter Wing, Delaware’s 166th Airlift Wing, Minnesota’s 133rd Airlift Wing, Pennsylvania’s 111th Attack Wing, 171st Air Refueling Wing and 193rd Special Operations Wing, as well as Ohio’s 121st Air Refueling Wing and Ohio Air Force Reserve’s 910th Airlift Wing.
“Some of the training that we'll do this week involves general airmanship and basic soldiering skills,” said Willard. “We'll practice convoy operations, basic weapon handling and skills, and then we'll use those basic skills to tie into our CBRN competencies.”
The R3BEL exercise was extensively planned in preparation for such events, as well as to provide the necessary training for each team of airmen.
“When we're working as the Air National Guard component, it's really hard to get that dedicated time in long doses to actually get out there and train, especially in those outside-the-wire environments and situations,” said Willard. “It gets us out there and we're able to actually practice those skills in a simulated environment.”
To be ready for a real-world event, it is important for Airmen to know their counterparts from other states so they are not meeting for the first time during an emergency, according to Williard.
“Getting to see some of those newer faces, and then getting to see who they'll be working with throughout their career is a really important thing for this training,” said Willard.
The exercise expanded upon previous essential training that the airmen had experienced, but had not had the chance to practice in agile combat employment operations, while utilizing tactics, techniques, and procedures and emerging standard operating procedures.
“When we're working with chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear response, we’re tying in some of those soldiering skills and response in a wartime environment, rather than just our normal response stateside or for domestic operations,” said Willard.
Teams participated in a number of training modules involving Humvee operation and convoy tactics, tactical weapons handling in presumptive identification training, sensitive site exploitation sampling, reconnaissance, and biological training.
“These types of training are important for our career field because we are switching from a reactive position where we are just in the office, something has happened, the scene was cleared, and we’re sent in, to a proactive force,” said Delaware Air National Guard Tech. Sgt. Josette Santana, emergency management specialist for the 166th Airlift Wing. “We're going to be attached to different units, different services, and we have to be able to hold our own out there in the field.”
Part of the training took place in the classroom at the 70th RTI and then teams were sent out to Blum Military Reservation throughout the week to gain hands-on training, which culminated into an intricate simulated deployment event over the last few days of the exercise.
“The exercise is broken up into different satellite exercises,” said Santana. “The main objective of this exercise is to become more familiar with our equipment and the changes that our job is specifically going through.”
Santana explained that one of the changes their career field is experiencing involves movement towards a four-person team attached to another branch’s unit within a potential deployed environment.
“It's important for us to get that practice, so that once we're actually down range and all these other factors are influencing what we're doing for our mission come into play, that we kind of have a baseline as to what we need to do because we've practiced it before,” said Santana.
The lessons learned through this exercise have been critical to the further preparedness for units along the East Coast in the event of deployment or local disaster.
“Overall, the week provided excellent training and a strong sense of cohesion was built,” said Blood. “I feel proud of what was accomplished and grateful for the experience and lessons it provided, and I’m confident we’ve established a standard for our future deployed for training events that will inspire the next emergency management leaders to keep this going.”
| Date Taken: | 10.15.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.15.2024 11:26 |
| Story ID: | 483124 |
| Location: | MIDDLE RIVER, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 68 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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