Tyndall completes exercise

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Christopher Reel
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  More than 500 Team Tyndall personnel including deployers, home-station support personnel, exercise planners and the wing inspection team successfully completed a week-long deployment/employment exercise Aug. 15.

The two-phased exercise launched 5 a.m. Aug. 11 and began with deployment processes and concluded with the employment phase.

"This exercise captured many firsts for Team Tyndall," said Lt. Col. Jeremy Durtschi, 325th Fighter Wing inspector general. "It's the first employment exercise for Tyndall to simulate a deployed location and the first exercise here under the new Air Force Inspection System. Team Tyndall also processed more cargo, people and aircraft for deployment than ever before."

Phase I tested the wing's ability to deliver combat capability when and where it is needed. Team Tyndall personnel prepared 275 deployers from various squadrons including the 95th Fighter Squadron.

The 95th FS, Tyndall's combat-coded F-22 squadron, stood up in October 2013 and met its initial operational capability in April 2014.

In Phase II of the exercise, the second half of the week, Team Tyndall tested the 95th FS' capabilities of projecting combat air power as if in a deployed arena.

"We employed F-22s in simulated missions against adversaries and trained like we would fight as if we were in a real deployed location," said Durtschi. "In total, 64 sorties were planned over the course of three days."

As 24-hour operations continued into Phase II, the base exercised various alarm messages on the installation's giant voice broadcasting system.

Tyndall members worked around the clock to prepare and execute the mock deployment.

"We've been training for a year leading up to it," Durtschi added. "We've been planning the exercise in earnest for three months. Countless hours of planning and executing went into this exercise."

This is the first employment exercise simulating a deployed location.

"Exercises establish muscle memory and enable continuous improvement through repetition," said Frank LaBroad, 325th Fighter Wing Exercise Plans chief. "This exercise focused on projecting combat air power."

Following the exercise, Team Tyndall reassessed mission processes and looked for opportunities to improve.

"Although we made huge strides in deployment readiness and combat capability, we can and will train to an even higher standard with more challenging scenarios in the future," said Col. Derek France, 325th FW commander. "After seeing this wing in action last week, I know we are up to the task. Thank you Team Tyndall for your mission focus, hard work and positive attitude during this exercise. Job well done!"