MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --
The 23d Wing processed more than 800 Airmen and 583 tons of cargo for a deployment exercise during the Wing Readiness Inspection (WRI) here Oct. 6-10.
The new Air Force Inspection System, which began in June 2013, focuses on evaluating existing exercises and self inspections over time, and Moody's WRI served as an opportunity to evaluate the wing's ability to respond to both mobility and employment demands.
"We took current scenarios that we're actually experiencing and we shaped [the WRI] into something we can prepare for," said U.S. Air Force Capt. Ryan Cummings, 23d Wing WRI exercise planner. "It is the most accurate assessment to see if we're ready to deploy to the nontraditional war."
Moody's first WRI, which occurred earlier this year, only tested the mobility phase, as opposed to this exercise that encompassed both the mobility and employment phases. The mobility phase prepared Airmen for a simulated contingency deployment with more than 200 Airmen deploying to Avon Park Air Force Range, Fla.
"I like that we are actually moving people out the door to Avon Park after the mobility process," Cummings said. "It's really easy to get people ready and pretend to be flying out on airplanes. With this new exercise, they actually have to step on a bus, drive five hours and get off somewhere completely unfamiliar and then turn that foreign area into a work environment. It's a challenge, but it makes our Air Force that much stronger."
The Airmen who deployed to Avon Park formed the 23d Expeditionary Fighter Wing, where their mission is to identify local adversaries and prepare for simulated contingencies.
"The focus on this WRI is still the mobility phase," Cummings said. "However, the employment phase takes the exercise to a natural progression where we're not just taking people out of Moody, but following through with their actual mission."
In order for the Air Force to successfully deploy its Airmen, communication at all levels needs to be made, and the Wing's Deployment Control Center is no exception.
"The communication between one another is always difficult, but it's also crucial," said 1st Lt. Kevin Bocanegra, 23d Force Support Squadron officer in charge of personnel deployment function line. "We've all put in a lot of work in this exercise, and we want [our deployment capability] to be the standard for other wings."
The WRI's mobility phase challenged other aspects of the mobility process, such as the 23d Logistics Readiness Squadron preparing 583 tons of cargo for the deployment.
"I think we've come a long way since the last few exercises, as they help work out some of the problems we've had," said Staff Sgt. Jerry Waite, 23d LRS Air Terminal Operations Flight journeyman. "Once our new [Airmen] were trained up to work this exercise, we were good to go. So I'm not surprised we did well."
The WRI's mobility demand provided a challenge for the wing and the many Airmen who participated, but the cohesion between the Airmen and their workplaces helped achieve the goal: to get 800 or more deployers ready to leave.
"This exercise was a great chance for the different organizations and squadrons to come together and sort out the snags in these processes," said Master Sgt. Matthew Lemieux, 23d FSS food services section chief. "We do these exercises so when the real world calls for us, our Airmen are ready. I think that's what makes us the greatest Air Force in the world, because when push comes to shove, we take care of business."