WEBVTT 00:26.930 --> 00:29.920 So I chose to play the red czar , uh , 00:29.930 --> 00:32.209 intentionally , and I encourage every 00:32.209 --> 00:34.042 wing commander across Air combat 00:34.042 --> 00:35.987 command to consider doing the same 00:35.987 --> 00:38.209 that's the level of expectation for the 00:38.209 --> 00:40.450 unit that somebody is gonna come after 00:40.450 --> 00:42.561 us and I think that's the best way to 00:42.561 --> 00:44.228 frame the readiness mindset . 00:49.639 --> 00:51.750 Then having the deputy commander play 00:51.750 --> 00:54.709 on blue side as well created a healthy 00:54.709 --> 00:56.765 tension , a healthy friction that we 00:56.765 --> 00:58.931 played off of each other , and I would 00:58.931 --> 01:01.098 say , oh , I'm gonna come at you . You 01:01.098 --> 01:03.265 better be ready , and he said . Well , 01:03.265 --> 01:05.629 Colonel Howard , um , really put us on 01:05.629 --> 01:08.959 notice that . Blue team needed to be 01:08.959 --> 01:12.959 ready to go and I can tell you he lived 01:12.959 --> 01:15.120 up to all the hype on his side , he 01:15.120 --> 01:17.839 brought it . But we were ready for him . 01:19.290 --> 01:21.089 We definitely stressed off it . 01:23.269 --> 01:25.325 Really to the breaking point in some 01:25.325 --> 01:27.970 cases intentionally because we wanted 01:27.970 --> 01:31.169 to show ourselves where we were weak so 01:31.169 --> 01:33.280 we can fix those weaknesses before it 01:33.280 --> 01:35.336 counts . We called it off it's worst 01:35.336 --> 01:39.069 week for a reason and . According 01:39.069 --> 01:41.125 to Facebook , there were some people 01:41.125 --> 01:43.291 that said , ah , this is just the same 01:43.291 --> 01:45.291 old ORI that I did just back in the 01:45.291 --> 01:47.879 days no big deal . No , no , no , this 01:47.879 --> 01:50.389 was the worst week off it's ever seen . 01:50.480 --> 01:52.647 We did things that had never been done 01:52.647 --> 01:54.813 before on any installation . It lasted 01:54.813 --> 01:56.870 longer and it was more involved than 01:56.870 --> 01:59.199 any other event that we've done in the 01:59.199 --> 02:01.421 history of the installation . It really 02:01.421 --> 02:03.588 was that big of a deal . Bellevue SWAT 02:03.588 --> 02:06.010 played on my team on the red side . And 02:06.010 --> 02:08.010 they were playing opposing forces . 02:08.289 --> 02:11.210 They actually went and breached several 02:11.210 --> 02:14.210 gates and we got in some . Simulated 02:14.210 --> 02:16.377 firefights with them and so that was a 02:16.377 --> 02:18.210 pleasant surprise to see how our 02:18.210 --> 02:20.432 security forces responded . The overall 02:20.432 --> 02:23.600 theme of a combat readiness inspection 02:23.600 --> 02:26.250 and a combat readiness exercise is as 02:26.250 --> 02:29.270 it says in the name combat . This isn't 02:29.270 --> 02:31.492 just what we do day to day . Can we get 02:31.492 --> 02:33.603 the planes in the air ? No , it's can 02:33.603 --> 02:35.770 you get the planes in the air and show 02:35.770 --> 02:37.490 up on time and do the job . 02:48.300 --> 02:51.759 We had a very robust script . In fact , 02:51.770 --> 02:55.639 we had 3 simultaneous scripts going 02:56.369 --> 02:59.550 at one at Offit , one at Ashland , and 02:59.550 --> 03:01.850 another one that the air crew were 03:01.850 --> 03:03.809 fighting against , and they're all 03:03.809 --> 03:06.080 seamlessly integrated together . So the 03:06.089 --> 03:08.311 theme was no kidding , if you're called 03:08.311 --> 03:10.311 into combat in the future , are you 03:10.311 --> 03:12.367 ready or are you not ? And we proved 03:12.367 --> 03:14.200 that we are . I think it's gonna 03:14.200 --> 03:16.256 naturally build up um we have got to 03:16.256 --> 03:19.020 test ourselves the same way . We tested 03:19.020 --> 03:21.470 ourselves during the CRI in future 03:21.470 --> 03:23.710 exercises um and then even make the 03:23.710 --> 03:25.877 next CRI that much better . That's the 03:25.877 --> 03:28.539 ultimate goal is how well we perform 03:28.869 --> 03:31.036 when tasked and it needs to be done at 03:31.036 --> 03:33.258 a moment's notice , right ? And I think 03:33.258 --> 03:35.270 that's what we're preparing for . I 03:35.270 --> 03:36.826 think there was a lot of uh 03:36.826 --> 03:39.048 opportunities for us to show what we're 03:39.048 --> 03:41.380 capable of the highlights were . I know 03:41.380 --> 03:43.602 what our airmen do on LRS . I know what 03:43.602 --> 03:45.713 our airmen do as far as defending the 03:45.713 --> 03:47.602 base from a defender standpoint , 03:47.602 --> 03:49.491 security forces , but to see them 03:49.491 --> 03:51.547 operate the way they did , given the 03:51.547 --> 03:53.769 scenarios , I was truly impressed . The 03:53.769 --> 03:55.713 way they locked down where we were 03:55.713 --> 03:57.547 actually deployed to , which was 03:57.547 --> 03:59.658 Ashland in this exercise . Us putting 03:59.658 --> 04:01.602 these things together to make us . 04:02.369 --> 04:04.610 Perform in the way we did . I have no 04:04.610 --> 04:06.666 doubt that we're gonna be ready when 04:06.666 --> 04:08.777 our nation calls us . No doubt at all 04:08.777 --> 04:10.943 our airmen are gonna be ready . Well , 04:10.943 --> 04:13.490 the deployed teams reminded me of when 04:13.490 --> 04:15.657 I was deployed to the Middle East as a 04:15.657 --> 04:18.209 squadron commander , and every day you 04:18.209 --> 04:20.376 wake up . With a fire in your eyes and 04:20.376 --> 04:22.431 in your belly because you have a you 04:22.431 --> 04:24.653 have a clarity of purpose you know what 04:24.653 --> 04:26.820 you're gonna do that day when you wake 04:26.820 --> 04:28.931 up you're gonna go fly a mission that 04:28.931 --> 04:30.876 has consequence and all the airmen 04:30.876 --> 04:32.987 whether they were air crew or support 04:32.987 --> 04:35.769 were laser focused . From 04:36.709 --> 04:39.179 minute one to execute the mission . 04:39.230 --> 04:41.119 They were all rolling in the same 04:41.119 --> 04:43.174 direction and they knew what the job 04:43.174 --> 04:45.397 was and and they they gave all they had 04:45.397 --> 04:47.563 despite everything that Red Czar threw 04:47.563 --> 04:49.674 at us . I think we came together very 04:49.674 --> 04:51.670 well . A lot of times when we talk 04:51.670 --> 04:53.726 about getting the base ready to go , 04:53.726 --> 04:55.837 get the base ready to fight wars , we 04:55.837 --> 04:57.781 talk about silos . We talk about a 04:57.781 --> 04:59.948 security forces squadron that's really 04:59.948 --> 05:02.170 just worried about trying to figure out 05:02.170 --> 05:01.989 how do we defend the perimeter . We 05:01.989 --> 05:04.750 talk about a squadron . That is worried 05:04.750 --> 05:06.806 about trying to figure out how do we 05:06.806 --> 05:08.917 take care of defending our networks . 05:08.917 --> 05:11.139 We talk about a medical squadron that's 05:11.139 --> 05:11.029 really trying to figure out how do we 05:11.029 --> 05:13.362 take care of if there's a mass casualty . 05:13.989 --> 05:16.156 Trying to pull all of that together in 05:16.156 --> 05:18.378 an exercise scenario that we had here , 05:18.378 --> 05:20.433 multiple scenarios ongoing , I think 05:20.433 --> 05:22.433 was one of those things that really 05:22.433 --> 05:24.600 showed how that team comes together to 05:24.600 --> 05:26.322 get things done . The 5th wing 05:26.322 --> 05:28.489 flawlessly executed its largest , most 05:28.489 --> 05:30.656 demanding readiness exercise , proving 05:30.656 --> 05:32.959 dominance across the battle space . 05:33.269 --> 05:35.470 This show of force delivered a clear 05:35.470 --> 05:38.350 message . We are the shield securing 05:38.350 --> 05:41.369 America . Always watching , always 05:41.369 --> 05:45.130 ready , always lethal . The fifty-fifth 05:45.130 --> 05:48.029 wing where the sun never sets on the 05:48.029 --> 05:49.140 fighting fifty-fifth .