Airmen with the 615th Contingency
Response Wing participated in a joint forcible entry exercise, or
JFEX, at Pope Air Force Base, N.C., Jan. 21 to 28. JFEX is designed
to enhance cohesiveness between the Air Force and Army by executing
large-scale heavy equipment and troop movements.
The 52-member contingency response group element exercised with
the 82nd Airborne Division.
“In this exercise our customer is the Army,” said
Lt. Col. Al Lopez, CRG-E commander. “However, depending on
the operation we are able to serve multiple customers and even
civilian aircraft in support of our sister services’
needs.”
Aerial porters, maintainers, loadmasters, boom operators and
command post Airmen exercised and refined their individual
skills.
“The exercise gives us a broader perspective,” said
Staff Sgt. Aaron Mynatt, operations noncommissioned officer in
charge for the exercise.
“We are developing and cutting missions based on the
requirements needed by the customers, which is normally an (Air
Mobility Division) function.”
The quarterly exercise, designed to train deploying 82nd
Airborne Division paratroopers, is also an opportunity for the wing
to build relationships, develop their skills and practice their
command and control function for deployments.
“It adds an expeditionary flavor to teaching deploying
brigades how they can expect to interact with us and how it should
all work together,” Colonel Lopez said. “It also gives
us an opportunity not only to build relationships with our sister
service counterparts but gives us an opportunity to familiarize
ourselves with the intricacies of a large scale airdrop operation
involving both C-17 (Globemaster IIIs) and C-130 (Hercules),
something we don’t get a lot of exposure to.”
In addition to the main body, which arrived Jan. 21, a small
advanced team arrived Jan. 18 to assess the airfield, coordinate
digging permits and begin off-loading the Mobile Air Reporting and
Communications, or MARC, shelter. After the main body of people
arrived, the team set-up the MARC and began 24-hour operations.
“It has been a fast tempo,” said Sergeant Mynatt.
“We had 11 aircraft take off at once and they all returned at
the same time too.”
In addition, the wing also has a small mission support group
forward deployed to help receive the aircraft within the Restricted
Area 5311 where the landing and drop zones are, Colonel Lopez
said.
“We are handling the missions out of Pope AFB,” said
Colonel Lopez. “The (forward deployed people) are on the
receiving end, assisting with air-land support.”
The 621st CRW from McGuire AFB, N.J., and the 615th CRW take
turns participating in the exercise. [ANN Thanks 2nd Lt. Lindsey
Hahn, 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs]