AFFTC IG: Team Edwards ready for ORI

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Julius Delos Reyes
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  "Bring it on."

With exactly 23 days to go today before the much-anticipated Air Force Materiel Command Inspector General's Operational Readiness Inspection, Edwards is in full gear.

Edwards performed its last Operational Readiness Exercise Jan. 30 to Feb. 2.
"Overall, the base did great," said Col. George Sciss, Air Force Flight Test Center Inspector General. "It was the best exercise I have seen since I have been here -- in all aspects."

The base has been preparing for the ORI for nearly two years, Colonel Sciss said.
Phase one of an ORE is getting the base ready for deployment and the emergency management exercise, said Maj. Stephen Harvey, AFFTC IG chief of readiness. For the deployment operation, the main priorities are standing up the personnel deploying function and the cargo deploying function which include getting the folks on the way to where they are going.

For the emergency exercise, it could be anything, Major Harvey said. It can be natural or man-made disasters.

"Phase II also includes testing of the base's force protection posture," said Pierre Poudevigne, AFFTC IG senior exercise planner. "That is making sure the base security is prepared for intrusion. It is making sure the base is alert."

The whole base needs to perform their function, Major Harvey said. Every Airman and the base community should be a sensor and vigilant. With this, people should be informed about the force protection and information conditions, the changes and the things they need to know regarding these conditions.

"In Phase II, we prove to ourselves and the inspectors that the base has the ability to deploy people to the area of responsibility," Colonel Sciss said.

The major part of Phase II is the base's ability to recall people and issue them with appropriate equipment and weapons; medically screen and have their other requirements accomplished; and organize their departure flights and get them to an airplane and get them gone, he said. The other part is how the base reacts to, adjusts for and recovers from natural or man-made disasters.

"Basically, what the IG looks for is how the base responds to save lives and mitigate property damage, how the base determines what it needs to recover from that damage and continue to support the mission while that is going on," Colonel Sciss said.

Phase II of the ORE is basically fighting the war, Mr. Poudevigne said. That is when Airmen simulate going to the base they are selected to go to, which is represented by Camp Corum.

During this phase, Airmen need to know their self aid and buddy care, unexploded ordinance and how to do their job when they are deployed. They also need to know how to brief their commander.

Airmen should also know how to properly don and utilize their chemical warfare equipment, appropriately respond to attacks, and maintain their weapons, Colonel Sciss said.

"We have been working toward this ORI for almost two years now," Colonel Sciss said. "My objective now is to get them here, get it done and get them done."

Edwards performed a self inspection recently to look at some of the paperwork issues that base officials believe the IG inspectors are going to review. This includes vehicle inspections, performance feedbacks for Airmen and other special interest items.

Dubbed "Operation Urgent Look," the self inspection is taking all the lessons the base learned from ORI performance of other Air Force bases.

The base is also doing a final preparation for the special interest items, Major Harvey said. The preparation includes getting base personnel up to speed with their deployment folders and records.

A tune-up practice for Phase I, transition day and Phase II is also in the works for the base on Feb. 20-22, he said.

"We still have some challenges to look before we can say that we are 100 percent ready for the ORI," Colonel Sciss said. "Things were really great last ORE but we can always do better."

All the exercises Edwards has performed were tailored to what base IG personnel observed from other bases, Mr. Poudevigne said.

"There should be no surprise for our people when the ORI hits," he said. "They should be ready to handle what the inspectors throw at them."

Colonel Sciss said the exercise is like a play.

"It is a highly choreographed event where everybody has to do their part in order to succeed so the show can go on," he said. "I think we have done the best we can to get ready. I think the people are focused and prepared."