ACC conducts COOP exercise

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Steven Goetsch
  • Air Combat Command Public Affairs
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. --  Air Combat Command measured its ability to maintain mission-essential functions through a natural disaster during a Continuity of Operations exercise April 26.

The concept, known as COOP, is used in all organizational levels - from the Air Force headquarters down to the wing level. COOP simply assists these organizations with sustaining their missions when normal operations are disrupted.

"Well, robust planning is a basic military necessity," said Lt. Gen. William Rew, Air Combat Command vice commander. "No one expected the events of 9/11 to happen; no one expected in Japan an earthquake and a tsunami."

A lot of planning also goes into exercise preparations, because as organizations change, so will the functions that are necessary to maintain them during a disaster.

"We've done exercises prior to this, however, this is the first exercise that we've integrated the senior-level staff, the functional area managers, and of course the directorates," said Kris Horan, Air Combat Command COOP program manager.

One reason ACC senior leaders were incorporated was to force leaders to determine if conducting relocation was necessary, and if they could sustain their functions. Even though a very small number of personnel are actually assigned to the COOP team, when disaster strikes, COOP's importance cannot be overstated.

"It ultimately affects every Air Combat Command Airman, mission and program by being able to sustain their mission-essential functions," said Ms. Horan.

One of the FAMs, Master Sgt. David Strickland, from Air Combat Command weather division, said the day's training was beneficial. "This is one of a couple of exercises I have participated in," he said. "This one is the most in-depth that I've seen so far from the actions that would take place here at Langley."

The annual COOP exercise is important because it affects every Airman in ACC. "Ultimately, COOP at all levels will play a role in ensuring Airmen get the necessary tools to complete any mission they may be assigned," Ms. Horan said.

After an exercise is completed, "lessons learned" are used to make changes and adaptations to the exercise so it can be improved.

"We actually had a few parts of the exercise already," said General Rew. "Now the biggest part is gathering up all of our lessons learned and incorporating that into our regular training so we can be prepared for the next phase of this operation."

Sergeant Strickland, a prior COOP participant, took inventory of his unit's performance.
"We have some areas that we need to improve upon," said Sergeant Strickland. "But an exercise like this enabled us to highlight those areas, and we will go forth and correct those and make a better plan."

The COOP concept was developed in response to Cold War threats in the 1950s. After the collapse of the Berlin Wall, many of the continuity efforts were discontinued. After the Khobar Towers attack in 1997, a renewed need for the program was invigorated throughout the defense department.

With the unpredictability of natural disasters, exercise director Kristin Horan explained that this is a long-term program that will be expanding in the future.

"This exercise does not stop today," she said. "We will continue to do exercises, we will move to the relocation sites, and eventually, we will actually branch out to our numbered Air Forces and our wing-level folks.

COOP is nothing new to ACC; it has been incorporating COOP principles into plans for the past decade. Even though this was only practiced at Langley Air Force Base, the entire command will need to have a plan in place.

"The biggest thing that we are doing at Air Combat Command is doing this level of COOP at the headquarters level," said General Rew.

"But our numbered Air Forces and our wings will be expected to put the same rigor into their COOP plans. So we're leading the way," General Rew added.