Silver Flag prepares Airmen, Sailors, Marines for contingencies

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Amanda Savannah
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  Six days of intense training culminated in a field exercise here June 28 for more than 120 Airmen, Sailors and Marines during Silver Flag 11-06.

Civil Engineer and Force Support Airmen from Kadena and Misawa Air Base, Japan, and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, teamed with Navy Seabees from Camp Shields and Marines from Camp Foster to train on sustaining the mission during contingency operations.

During the field exercise, the students were evaluated on how well they understood their specific contingency operation skills, based on their individual career fields. For example, pavements and equipment Airmen are responsible for runway repair.

"The Silver Flag exercise simulates if we were to go to war and our airfield was attacked," said Tech. Sgt. Bryan Rosburg, Det. 1 554th Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineer Squadron pavements and equipment contingency training NCO in charge. "[It ensures] these Airmen know how to go out and repair the runway so the planes can land and take off and support the aircraft's mission."
Tech. Sgt. Russell Jamieson, Det. 1 554th RED HORSE Squadron engineering contingency training instructor, added that other exercise scenarios include damaged water pipes and fuel lines, pest management issues, power outages, fire department emergencies, and potential chemical attacks that call for every student to respond as well as emergency management Airmen.

Staff Sgt. Chad Shipp, 647th Civil Engineer Squadron water and fuels maintenance technician from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, said the training and hands-on exercise helped prepare him for future possible contingency operations.

"[We learned] a lot of classroom stuff, and we've been doing bypass repair on a fuel line [during the exercise]," Sergeant Shipp said. "It's hot but it's going good. This gets us ready in case anything happens, particularly in the PACAF [Pacific Air Forces] region. If a pipeline gets blown up, we'll be ready to take care of it, so it [Silver Flag] has definitely helped."

Maj. Rob Moriarty, Det. 1 554th RED HORSE Squadron commander, said the Silver Flag training and exercise focuses on preparing Air Force Civil Engineer and Force Support Airmen for contingency operations. However, the importance of teamwork and joint cohesion has been reintroduced into the training as Sailors and Marines have rejoined Silver Flag.

"This is the first year in quite a while where we've been able to do a fully integrated joint exercise with both the Marines and Navy Seabees, where they joined us for the training and were working with us throughout the exercise," Major Moriarty said. "The whole point of all of this is to support the PACOM [Pacific Command] mission statement and their objectives, and improve our partnership with our host nations [and joint services] and be able to support them."

Navy Senior Chief John Cunningham, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133 utilitiesman chief senior from Camp Shields, coordinated with RED HORSE leadership to include Navy Seabees in Silver Flag 11-06.

"I think it's very important to have an opportunity like this," he said. "It is something we don't get a very big chance of doing. We work hand-in-hand with the RED HORSE unit here in contingencies and on deployment sites, so getting the opportunity to work with their command element, learn some terminology and work side by side builds a pretty good relationship and opportunity that is unique to some of the locations we get to go to."

Senior Chief Cunningham said he received good feedback on the Navy Seabees' participation during Silver Flag 11-06.

"A lot of the feedback I'm getting from my troops, the command element and the Air Force unit here is very positive," he said. "The troops love getting to do something other than just their job, because it's a little bit different in some aspects, and that's what's kind of exciting for them. They also enjoy seeing the Air Force and their capabilities and our junior troops at work."