Air Force, Army train together in Joint Conquest

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Jessica Kendziorek
  • 403rd Wing Public Affairs
KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  The Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard and Army National Guard teamed up for a joint training scenario called Joint Conquest Friday through Sunday, both here and at the Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center, Mississippi. The main portion of the training took place Saturday during the 403rd Wing's September unit training assembly.

"This is a chance for us to work with our sister units, the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard so they can learn to bring their equipment and prepare their stuff to bring it to an Aerial Port Unit for transport," said Master Sgt. Steve Martin, the unit deployment manager of the 41st Aerial Port Squadron.

Soldiers and Airmen worked together performing joint inspections of the vehicles and with the loading and offloading of two military ambulance Humvees onto two C-130J aircraft, and flying them back and forth between Keesler AFB and the Gulfport CRTC. The military members trained in loading and offloading procedures by swapping the vehicles between the two aircraft at both locations.

"The vehicles go through a joint inspection, which means that the vehicles were checked out for any hazards, from fire extinguishers to munitions that may be present before loading them onto the aircraft," said Martin. "Any hazards are identified and then the proper paperwork is completed to make sure we don't make any air violations."

Martin also said that the vehicles are weighed and the center of balance is obtained in order to maintain the balance of the aircraft. This is important because without this information it can bring down the aircraft.

This will be the first time Air Force and Army personnel have worked together at these locations to perform joint service training according to Martin.

"This (training) also gives us more experience as far as what our role would be in transporting our equipment with the Air Force, and to give them (the Airmen) the opportunity to train with different types of equipment," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Ricky Tyler, the readiness non-commissioned officer of the 890th Engineering Battalion.

Army Spc. Andrew Durand, a generator repairman in the 890th Engineering Battalion said, "The exercise went pretty well, but with any exercise there were a few miscommunications. I liked how they handled it and that we got back into it and finished the exercise."

While Joint Conquest occurred during the 14th anniversary of 9/11, this exercise also provides needed training for other major catastrophes.

"If something were to happen, another storm, an earthquake or something, the 890th (Engineering Battalion) has the large equipment; we (403rd Wing) have the aircraft; and the 255th (Air Control Squadron) has the communications...and trying to put these pieces together takes work," said Martin. "But if we don't plan, talk together, make points of contact and create relationships with the other units, it will be a scramble at the last minute in the event something does happen. By providing this hands-on-training and practicing now we can work out some of the 'bugs' in the process."

"We had the flat tire issue to begin with, but that is real world stuff. We worked around it and made it happen," said Tech. Sgt. Major Sims, 41st APS air transportation specialist.

He also said he would like to see future exercises of the same type but with different pieces of equipment and different vehicles to be able train on the different sizes, shapes and tie down points of the equipment and vehicles.

Military members from the following units participated in the training: from the Air Force Reserve, the 403rd Current Operations, 815th Airlift Squadron, and 41st Aerial Port Squadron, all of which fall under command of the 403rd Wing at Keesler AFB; from the Mississippi Air National Guard, the 255th Air Control Squadron from the Gulfport CRTC; and from the Mississippi Army National Guard, the 890th Engineering Battalion and 1108th Theater Aviation Sustainment Maintenance Group from Gulfport, Mississippi.