Ready To Respond At A Moment's Notice
by U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Tess LaBossiere May 26,
2021
As hundreds of Marines with Marine Aircraft Group 36 and Marine
Air Control Group 18 staged in the early hours of Friday morning
with all the equipment to sustain operations for a short period of
time, leaders and planners observed the culmination of 48 hours of
tireless execution. During the previous two days multiple squadrons
from across 1st Marine Aircraft Wing scrambled to plan and respond
to a no-notice drill designed to surprise and test their ability to
respond at a moment’s notice to any contingency.
Marines
with 1st MAW conducted this Alert Contingency Marine Air-Ground
Taskforce (ACM) drill May 19-21, 2021 in order to maintain readiness
as the III Marine Expeditionary Force’s Air Combat Element of the
ACM in the Indo-Pacific.
The Indo-Pacific region is a disaster-prone area, and the ACM
must be ready to respond to contingencies that cannot be predicted.
In preparation for a possible humanitarian assistance or disaster
relief mission, 1st MAW flexed its muscles to showcase its current
readiness posture.
When the exercise order was issued by the
commanding general, 1st MAW, in response to a notional natural
disaster, MAG-36 immediately established a planning cell to prepare
for and support the contingency response. This drill was designed to
test the planning, staging and loading of gear and equipment as well
readying aircraft for take-off within a 48-hour window.
The
commanding officer of MAG-36 acted as the ACE commander in the
scenario and provided aircraft to include, MV-22B Ospreys, CH-53Es
and UH-1Ys to transport equipment and personnel. To mimic aircraft
self-deployment to another country in the region, the aircraft were
outfitted for long-range flight operations capabilities.
A U.S. Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion Helicopter assigned to Heavy Marine Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 465, prepares for takeoff during an Alert Contingency Marine Air Ground Task Force (ACM) drill at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan, May 20, 2021. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Justin J. Marty)
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“This drill allowed the MAG the ability to test our squadrons’
capabilities and processes required to support the ACM,” said Lt.
Col. Andrew Alissandratos, the executive officer of MAG-36 who acted
as the lead planner for much of the drill. “This was a great
opportunity for us to test and refine our established procedures.
The exercise is also vital because it will help shape our
recommendations to the 1st MAW and III MEF commanders on the
composition and execution of the ACE within the ACM which will
ultimately posture us to better respond to any contingency.”
Within 24 hours of notification Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron
262 deployed two MV-22B Ospreys to embark Marines with 3d Battalion,
3d Marines, 3d Marine Division.
Marine Wing Communications
Squadron 18 was the MACG-18 unit tasked with providing vital command
and control capabilities for the ACE for this drill. After receiving
notice of the ACM drill MWCS-18 packed away their gear set, loaded
it on MTVRs then staged it on the flight line at Marine Corps Air
Station Futenma to be transported by mobility aircraft. 2ndLt Casey
Killeen with MWCS-18 said that “drills like these are important
because we need to be able to deploy at a moment’s notice and with a
short-notice fly-away ACM drill, we are able to train how we fight.”
Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 172 provided aviation ground
support during the drill. Similar to MWCS-18, MWSS-172 received the
drill alert and began kinetic movements immediately. They were
tasked to provide various equipment such as tactical fuel systems
and expeditionary lighting for runways and landing zones.
A U.S. Marine Corps light capacity rough terrain
forklift assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS)
172, lifts a connex container during an Alert Contingency
Marine Air Ground Task Force (ACM) drill at Camp Foster,
Okinawa, Japan, May 20, 2021. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Justin J.
Marty)
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This and other equipment was prepped, loaded and transported to
another location to be inspected. The ACM drill “allows the unit to
gauge how long it takes us to carry out our aviation support mission
from planning to execution,” said Staff Sgt. Kenneth Kondrat, the
logistics chief at MWSS-172. “It gives us a chance to practice
operations on short notice and ensure that we are better trained and
prepared for a real-world scenario.”
Part of the MWSS-172 mission is to provide food services. Food
service specialists with MWSS-172 wrapped pallets of rations, which
were then forklifted and loaded onto motor transport vehicles by
logistics and embarkation specialists, to be driven to a staging
location by motor vehicle operators for the equipment to be
inspected by mobility personnel. “It’s important that the sections
work together to ensure we are ready on the spot,” said Cpl. Teodoro
Lopez J.R., embarkation specialist with MWSS-172. “We prepare for
any ACM through MCCRE [Marine Corps Combat Readiness Evaluation],
FCLP [Fleet Carrier Landing Practice] and daily operations, and if
we are activated, we will be ready.”
As is evident in the
execution of the AMC drill, 1st MAW’s readiness relies on all
components being prepared individually and coming together in order
to plan and successfully execute its mission. The ACM drill was
conducted to ensure that the ACE remains postured and ready to
deploy anywhere in the region, with little notice, should the need
arise.
Rapid deployment exercises and drills are essential
to maintaining and improving operational capabilities and upholding
its commitments to ally and partner nation in the Indo-Pacific. 1st
MAW is and will continue to be ready to Fight Now.
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