Lakenheath flightline turned into combat zone for exercise

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Torri Ingalsbe
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  More than 1,000 Liberty warriors participated in a local operations evaluation exercise from Oct. 16 to 18.

Players in the exercise were evaluated by a team of about 40 people, 14 of which were augmented from Spangdahlem, Germany. The evaluators inspected the 48th Fighter Wing's NATO compliance.

"It takes a lot of people to put something like this together," said Lt. Col. Doug Jenkins, 48th Fighter Wing, wing inspections chief. "The 40 evaluators did the work of about 150 NATO evaluators."

The Lakenheath flightline was transformed to simulate a combat zone and players were instructed to treat the exercise as if they were deployed. The exercise required 24-hour operations with most people working 12-hour shifts.

Multiple scenarios were thrown at the players, from suspicious packages and protestors to numerous fires and mortar attacks. Despite the set-backs, Liberty warriors were able to fly more than 148 sorties and treat more than 50 wounded players, helping the 48th Fighter Wing to deliver unrivaled combat power and support.

"There's no doubt about it, we've had a marked increase in the efficiency of our procedures," said Col. Chris Nowland, 48th Fighter Wing vice commander.

Colonel Nowland attributed much of the success to the improved communication within the various units participating in the exercise.

Every 48th Fighter Wing unit, from the 48th Security Forces Squadron to the 48th Logistics Readiness Squadron, was involved to help ensure mission success. Representatives from each unit were congregated in the Wing Operations Center, where they employed team work and interoperability to keep base operations running smoothly.

Firefighters deployed to fight simulated fires around the flightline and medics followed to administer emergency care to burn victims. In cases where the medics were unable to reach the victims, the other players had the opportunity to perform self-aid buddy care to those in need.

"This exercise was a drastic improvement from the previous one in July," Colonel Jenkins said. "We just need to make sure we keep a 'we're at war' sense of urgency."

"The upcoming OPEVAL is all about the attitude," Colonel Nowland said. "We have to go into it and show the evaluators that we know how to execute the mission. It's our business."

At times, throughout the exercise, the alarm would sound: "Alarm red, alarm red!" Individuals donned protective gear and rapidly took cover for a possible air strike. Sirens sounded and bedded down until the all clear was heard and it was safe to operate again.

The flying mission was the primary focus and the aircrews and maintainers exercised their abilities to work under pressure and with limited resources.

"Overall, we've been doing very well," Colonel Nowland said, "We have a few minor things that we'll need to tweak, but the communication and operations have improved markedly since the last exercise."