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Airmen, Soldiers Practice Interoperability
by U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Charles Casner
February 13,
2022
U.S. Airmen assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord,
Washington, and Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, participated
in Battalion Mass Tactical Week at Pope Army Airfield, Jan. 30-Feb.
5, 2022.
During mass-tactical week, U.S. Army and U.S. Air
Force units worked together to improve interoperability for
worldwide crisis, contingency and humanitarian operations.
“The reason we do this exercise is joint partnership,'' said Maj.
Courtney Vidt, 8th Airlift Squadron pilot and [add her role in the
exercise]. “Everything we do is based on what the Army needs for
groundskeeper maneuvering. We get to do airdrop maneuvering, we get
to try different tactics, techniques, and procedures, we get to drop
personnel, heavy airdrop equipment and CDs, which is container
delivery system equipment, and try different methods of doing that
that we don't always get to try during a home session.”
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U.S. Air Force Capt. Carol Champion, center, a pilot with the 16th Airlift Squadron, briefs U.S. Army jumpmasters assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, during Battalion Mass Tactical Week at Pope Army Airfield, North Carolina, Feb. 4, 2022. BMTW is a joint exercise between the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Army, which gives participants the ability to practice contingency operations in a controlled environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Charles Casner)
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Mass Tactical Week involved three C-17
Globemaster IIIs assigned to McChord Field, four C-17s assigned to
Charleston, and Army Soldiers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division
and 37th Brigade Engineer Battalion, both at Fort Bragg, North
Carolina.
“Working with the Army is actually a pretty cool
experience,” Vidt said. “We mostly as the aircrew work with the
jumpmasters, where the mission planning cell gets to work with some
of the key leaders of the Army to figure out what they need on the
ground and how they want their jumpers to land. That is how they
actually dictate which jumpers go to which jet and our formation
positions for it. The Army is actually a really cool opportunity
because we don't always get to practice throwing people on the
back.”
During the exercise, a total of eight flights were
conducted by seven C-17 Globemaster IIIs. They airdropped 11 heavy
equipment platforms and 30 CDS bundles, and practiced three
semi-prepared operations landings, involving a total of 1,732 Air
Force and Army personnel.
Airmen completed different training
requirements with a focus on joint operations and interoperability
for worldwide crises.
“We sometimes don't speak the same
language, and we sometimes need different objectives,” Vidt said.
“For example, where we needed certain airdrop positions to help with
our upgrade and our own training, as well as different tactical
scenarios to mirror real life, they just need us to throw people on
the drop zone. Sometimes it's explaining to them, ‘Hey, this is our
scenario. And in the real world, this is how we would actually get
to the place that you need.’”
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U.S. Army paratroopers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, wait for takeoff on a C-17 Globemaster III during Battalion Mass Tactical Week, or BMTW, at Pope Army Airfield, North Carolina, Feb. 4, 2022. BMTW is a joint exercise between the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army, which gives participants the ability to practice contingency operations in a controlled environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Charles Casner)
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Battalion Mass Tactical Week started back
in 2017 and is held approximately six times a year. It simulates
real world operations, but in a controlled environment. A real-world
situation involves being ready to go at a moment’s notice.
For Senior Airman Thomas Welsh, 8th AS loadmaster, he said he
enjoyed participating in the BMTW exercise and working with the
Soldiers.
“I actually learned a lot,” he said. “There
was some new stuff that I’ve never experienced. They were giving us
a lot of equipment that I’ve never seen before, which made it
challenging, but we have some pretty great instructors and they are
always teaching me new stuff.”
BMTW challenged mission
planners just as much as those going on the simulated missions.
Regardless of the countless challenges such as weather,
communication between the branches, and tight timelines, Soldiers
and Airmen cooperated together to complete BMTW.
“Working
with the Army has been great,” said Senior Airman Michael
MacDougall, 8th AS loadmaster. “ We have developed the
interoperability between the services and received great training on
both sides.”
Simulated exercises like BMTW help to keep the
joint tactics of Airmen and Soldiers abreast and knowledgeable. They
can enhance members’ abilities by practicing scenarios in a
controlled environment. The success of exercises like this makes it
easier for the further success of joint exercises in the future.
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