April mobility exercise to bring 927th ARW closer to ORI preparedness

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Anna-Marie Wyant
  • 927th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  This month, the 927th Air Refueling Wing will assemble its first mobility exercise of the year here in preparation for its first joint Operational Readiness Inspection scheduled for January 2011.

The purpose of an ORI is to test and evaluate a unit's ability to deploy its members and equipment, operate in a hostile environment, return to the home station, and reconstitute the force. This will be the first time the 927th ARW and the 6th Air Mobility Wing will undergo an ORI as associate units. Mobility exercises help prepare wing members for the ORI before they are officially evaluated.

"The mobility exercises test the wing's capability to mobilize for deployment," said Maj. Danny Menashi, 927th ARW chief of wing plans. "We'll check the readiness of wing members, ensuring they have proper documentation and equipment."

Preparation for the ORI began shortly after the wing's first deployment in October 2009, said Maj. David M. Riley, commander of the 927th Logistics Readiness Squadron and member of the deployment planning group with Major Menashi. In January 2010, the group proposed an ORI training plan that included several mobility and aircraft generation exercises and a training schedule for critical readiness requirements such as chemical warfare and self-aid and buddy care training.

Major Riley said the wing plans to be approximately 30 percent complete with chemical warfare training by mid-April, and nearly 100 percent complete by the practice ORI in September.

"The aggressive training schedule gives us the opportunity to fine-tune our processes and fix mistakes prior to the ORI," Major Riley said.

Part of this aggressive training involves efficiently utilizing limited time during monthly Unit Training Assemblies. To ensure time for ORI preparation is built into UTAs, Col. Kenneth Lewis, 927th ARW commander, established a UTA synchronization board. The board serves as a sort of calendar schedule for UTA weekends, ensuring training requirements and appointments do not conflict.

Major Riley stressed the importance of having a good plan for a successful ORI.

"Planning is an iterative process," Major Riley said. "In combat operations, the enemy always gets a vote, and plans should be constantly updated to reflect the current situation. Planners need to effectively communicate those changes."

In addition to proper planning, Major Riley said sufficient job knowledge and positive attitudes are essential to doing well in the ORI.

"ORI is a total team effort; every Airman must know his or her job and be able to perform it under pressure," he said. "Second, attitude is everything. A great attitude can mean the difference in a unit scoring an excellent or an outstanding."