Airmen fly to Kadena AB, Japan, for exercise

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Angelique Smythe
  • 36 ABW Public Affairs
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam --  Approximately 110 members from the 36th Civil Engineer Squadron, 36th Services Squadron, 36th Contracting Squadron, and the Personnel Contingency Flight left for exercise Silver Flag at Kadena AB, Japan, the mornings of Jan. 5 and 6.

Silver Flag is contingency-based training putting Airmen in chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives wartime scenarios, said Tech. Sgt. Damien Seals, 36th Civil Engineer Squadron.

This week-long exercise is conducted annually but is a recurring 30-month requirement for those in the civil engineer career field.

"[Participants] will have to set up the runway and prepare an airstrip for mission support agencies," said Sergeant Seals.

The Airmen will receive classroom instruction and on-the-job training on wartime and contingency equipment. They will go over the Mission-Oriented Protective Postures levels and specific siren calls for conventional attacks, such as small arms fire and mortar rounds.

They will also receive training on the Emergency Airfield Lighting System, Mobile Aircraft Arresting System, Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit, command center, and readiness.

On the last day, there will be a major event in which they must put into practice all they've learned throughout the week. The Airmen will most likely be attacked in either a conventional or chemical manner, they must continue to operate and complete their wartime mission after donning the proper protective gear, such as field or MOPP gear.
At the end of the day, the participants are operationally de-briefed and told what was done well or what needs improvement.

"I'm excited about going to Silver Flag; we don't get to do this kind of training very often," said Capt. Matthew Joseph, chief of the 36th CES Readiness Flight. "It gives us a full week to practice all the wartime mission activities that we don't get to do here on Andersen due to the nature of our jobs."