RAF Mildenhall tests abilities, prepares for upcoming ORI

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Austin M. May
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  The 100th Air Refueling Wing waged war in its own backyard last week.  (For video coverage click HERE).

Members of the wing donned chemical protective gear and went into simulated battle for about a week at "Base X" in preparation for the upcoming Operational Readiness Inspection this fall. Base X is the name given to areas of RAF Mildenhall involved in the exercise, which are treated as a deployed location.

Master Sgt. William McQueen, 100th ARW Plans and Programming superintendent, said the two-part exercise tested the wing's ability to deploy on short notice and then carry out operations in a "chemical environment." A chemical environment is anywhere chemical or biological weapons may be employed, requiring servicemembers to operate while wearing protective gear.

The master sergeant said the players were evaluated on how the performed first aid, how they adapted to working in a chemical environment and how they reacted during conventional attacks. Simultaneous scenarios were played out at different locations to test emergency operations center personnel, firefighting and law enforcement professionals as well.

While the exercise did have an effect on base operations, the pain is worth it, said Maj. Timothy Feely, 100 ARW Inspections and Readiness (IGI) chief.

"What balances the cost of preparing is the benefit of passing the ORI on the first try," he said. "ORIs don't go away if you fail. They come back in 90 days to re-test.

"That would not only ruin the holiday season, but it would make the hard work we've all been putting in a waste," he continued. "Is it worth our extra time and effort? Yes."

The major said while the extra hard work and effort put into passing the ORI is crucial, safety is even more important.

"Is it worth injuring people or damaging equipment? No," Major Feely said. "Safety is a top priority in planning our exercises. Our Exercise Evaluation Team members keep a close eye out for situations where safety might be compromised, in order to step in when needed."

ORI preparation, according to the major, isn't the only benefit of the exercises.

"Most of what is evaluated are aspects of our jobs we're required to know anyway, but may not perform very often," he explained. "One example is Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive training. We get the training, but otherwise don't practice it because it's not a common threat when we deploy real-world. So it brushes up our proficiency on some our less practiced skills."

Another 100 ARW IGI team member, Capt. Javin Peterson, said the wing is making remarkable progress toward being ready for the October ORI, but we still have some distance to cover and not a lot of time to get there. According to him, exercises are the way to reach that goal.

"Our exercises are providing us with realistic feedback concerning the areas in which we excel, as well as those that need significant improvement," he said.

Captain Peterson said one thing stands out among all the scenarios and equipment that goes into making the training successful - a positive attitude.

"In terms of the inspection, our attitude goes a long way in impressing the [United States Air Forces in Europe Inspector General] team," he said. "More importantly than the inspection we really want our Airmen to learn these skills for themselves."

The captain said while the inspection is something that requires our focus and attention, it is only a simulation, but the lessons we learn in preparation for it are real.

"Hopefully on Oct. 17 the inspectors will pack up and head back to Ramstein Air Base impressed with how the 100 ARW operates, but we don't want our collective knowledge and hard fought skills to go with them," Captain Peterson said. "ORI prep is really about bettering ourselves. It's about knowing we are able to effectively and efficiently execute any mission that is given to us.

"It's about pride our wing, our sections and fellow Airmen," he continued. "The ORI just gives us the chance to show our ability."