Beverly Midnight 11-05 improves readiness, increases Wolf Pack resolve

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Benjamin Stratton
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Wolf Pack servicemembers tested their ability to survive and operate with various simulated wartime operations during operational readiness exercise Beverly Midnight 11-05 here Oct. 24 to 28.

The exercise put Airmen through scenarios that included non-combatant evacuation operations; ground, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosives attacks; unexploded ordnance detection; self-aid and buddy care and more.

"Every exercise we try to stress the system to identify areas that need improvement," said. Col. Stephen Williams, 8th Fighter Wing vice commander. "What we're looking for is the weakest link so we can improve all the way from defending the base, to accepting follow on forces to taking the fight north."

Regardless of the given scenario, Wolf Pack members were challenged to complete the mission. Thanks to continued training opportunities, this exercise, and many others like it, afforded Kunsan Airmen and their tenant unit partner's real world confidence in a controlled training environment.

"Everyone benefits...from the senior leaders in command and control all the way to the Airmen executing the mission," Williams said. "There are learning points at all levels."

This iteration of Beverly Midnight presented new obstacles for the Wolf Pack to overcome, but with the extensive training regiment here, Airmen stepped up to the tasks at hand.

"We are well trained, heavily armed, extremely disciplined and dedicated to the safety, security and preservation of freedoms on the peninsula," said Capt. Dan Roach, 8th Security Forces Squadron operations officer. "It's important to maintain readiness since the enemy is unpredictable. One example is the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island last November - you have to be ready to fight tonight."

There is always room for improvement in everything we do, Williams said.

"Having plans and procedures in place prior to actual combat is important, but during the fog and friction of war we need to be prepared to deviate from these processes based on what the enemy presents us," the colonel said. "That's the great thing about the Air Force - we have leaders at all levels who can make key decisions under the pressures combat to safely get the mission done."

Planning aside, Williams reemphasized the importance of a continued readiness training program at Kunsan.

"It is important for people to realize and understand that we will have four times as many people on this base during real world contingency operations," he said. "The simple things like feeding troops, finding bed space and turning jets become huge challenges, but with proper training and continued practice at what we do best, I have no doubt the Wolf Pack is prepared."

"The enemy doesn't stand a chance against our Wolf Pack Airmen," Roach added.