MSG exercises unified response

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class David Bernal Del Agua
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  A parked suspicious vehicle with a possible improvised explosive device kicked-off a simulated scenario during an operational readiness exercise, Feb. 25, here.

Multiple mission support group teams responded to the possible threat which was spotted in front of the 22nd Operations Group building.

"I am proud of the way our teams responded to this potential threat," said Lt. Col. Bradley Baugh, 22nd Mission Support Group deputy commander. "This exercise validated our beliefs in our capabilities."

The Explosive Ordinance Disposal team responded to the scene to investigate the situation to confirm the IED.

"Our response was just a portion of what was going on," said Master Sgt. Joshua Flaherty, 22nd CES EOD flight superintendent. "Our job is to determine the safest course of action that would allow us to access, identify and, if needed, render safe any explosive threats that are encountered."

The exercise concluded after the EOD team successfully de-escalated the situation.

"From an EOD perspective, I thought the exercise went very well," said Flaherty. "The team members displayed exceptional motivation while preparing for and executing their response. Additionally, team leadership did an excellent job interacting and communicating with the other agencies on-site and provided timely and appropriate guidance to the incident commander as the situation evolved."

All the teams involved worked together from the start of the exercise until the threat was neutralized.

"We responded in a unified way to this hazard and demonstrated that McConnell is prepared for any challenges that are presented to us," said Baugh.