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War Room Prepares Airmen For The Future Fight
by U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Cydney Lee
March 17,
2023
Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, recently
implemented the War Room, an operational training team composed of
cross-functional active duty, reservist and civilian members from
squadrons across the base.
“[The War Room]...synchronizes
training plans and efforts across the groups [and] develops tactics
and procedures to close the [Air Mobility Command] gaps, in order to
get ready to win the next war,” said Lt. Col. Raul Cantualla, 436th
Plans and Programs chief.
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1st Lt. Garrett Watts, left, and Capt. Ben Bertelson, right,
U.S. Air Force 3rd Airlift Squadron C-17 Globemaster III pilots, sprint toward a C-17
and quickly begin to taxi it toward the runway during rapid
departure training at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware on March 10, 2023. Team Dover Airmen participated in a week-long readiness training exercise during which the 3rd AS practiced rapid departure capabilities, further enabling their rapid response in a fast-paced threat environment. (Image
created by USA Patriotism! from U.S. Air Force photos by Senior Airman Cydney Lee.)
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The War Room is not a singular,
isolated idea, but rather a piece of a larger puzzle that ensures
the U.S. Air Force and its Airmen are the most ready, lethal force
possible. It’s closely tied to the multi-capable Airmen and Agile
Combat Employment concepts.
”MCA and ACE are at the
forefront of how we designed our training events,” said Lt. Col.
John Gerlach, 436th Airlift Wing chief of safety. “For example, we
are providing opportunities for loadmasters and maintainers to
practice loading and unloading aircraft without the presence of a
traditional aerial port. This reduces our logistical footprint,
increases flexibility, and enables a more lethal joint force.”
Developing MCA is the first key step to encourage new and
innovative solutions within the Air Force and further Dover’s
strategic global airlift capabilities in preparation for the next
war.
“We have the equipment. What's going to win the war for
us is going to be our Airmen and their capability to think outside
the box, be creative [and] resilient,” said Cantualla. “MCA is how
we're going to get after it.”
The War Room is not Dover’s
first step in following Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown,
Jr.’s strategic plan, ‘Accelerate Change or Lose,’ through exploring
new operational concepts to prepare for the high-end fight. In the
summer of 2022, Dover AFB held Liberty Eagle Readiness Exercise, a
training event that tested the base’s ability to perform in a
contested and degraded environment.
“We build a skill set and
then build upon it; everything should have ‘connective tissue’,”
said Cantualla.
For example, in one exercise, Team Dover
Airmen may focus on building chemical, biological, radiological and
nuclear skills, and in the following exercise they would build upon
those CBRN skills by also focusing on communicating, moving,
shooting and refueling, said Cantualla.
Most recently, the
War Room hosted a base-wide training event March 6-10, incorporating
tactical combat casualty care, CBRN, and a variety of other
pre-deployment skills. This readiness event was entirely run by the
War Room.
Several exercises and training opportunities are
expected to occur in the future as well, with the War Room
continuing to play a central part in the planning.
“We will
continue to utilize exercises throughout the year to increase our
readiness focusing on our ability to succeed in high-intensity
conflict,” said Gerlach. “This level and type of training needs to
become a normal part of our battle rhythm.”
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