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Phase I exercise

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- Airman 1st Class Lucas Smith, 20th Communications Squadron, covers cargo Jan. 22 during the pallet build-up portion of the Phase I exercise, Sea Lion 07-03. Phase I exercises test the wing’s ability to demonstrate combat capability. The primary objective of January's Phase I exercise was to successfully generate 24 combat aircraft, associated equipment and personnel safely and on time, according to exercise planners. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Keri Whitehead)

Exercise

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- Senior Airman Thaddeus Stout, 20th Component Maintenance Squadron, checks deployment cargo load lists to ensure weights and measurements are in compliance prior to aircraft loading. Measurements must be accurately documented in order for the aircraft to safely deliver cargo to the deployed location. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Nathan Bevier)

Exercise

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- Senior Airman Michael Roche (left) and Airman 1st Class Jereme Coste, 20th Comptroller Squadron finance technicians, talk to Airmen about financial issues Jan. 26 during the Phase I exercise. A finance brief is one of many briefings people receive before they deploy. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman John Gordinier)

Shaw conducts Phase I exercise

Published Feb. 1, 2007
By Senior Airman John Gordinier
20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- Hundreds of Airmen tested their combat capability and readiness during Sea Lion 07-03, a Phase I exercise, which ended Jan. 26.

"Phase I exercises are an important tool because they allow us to assess our large deployment capability in a controlled environment against a set standard," said Maj. Philip Hamilton, 20th Fighter Wing Plans and Inspection chief.

The generation effort by the 20th Maintenance and Operations Groups were nearly flawless, the major said. The wing's overall sense of urgency and exercise play was very good.

This exercise reflected that it had been a long time since the 20th FW had performed an exercise without conducting a real-world deployment, he said. That, combined with the attempt to use the new 48-hour template the Air Combat Command inspector general is instituting, created some interesting challenges and excellent learning points.

In past Phase I exercises, the generation and regeneration effort was spread out over three days, but now, the ACC IG is attempting to conduct these exercises in only two days, Major Hamilton said.

"As we move towards our ACC Operational Readiness Inspection in August, it's important to make sure we move beyond just a training mentality and emphasize the details associated with execution," Major Hamilton said. "Training will always be a part of our exercise play, but proving our skill sets are sharp is just as important as the learning that goes on during these exercises."

Areas the wing needs to improve include personnel and cargo processing as well as aircraft regeneration, he said.

"Often we focus on making our organizations work efficiently, but cargo and personnel processing really challenges the wing to work across those organizational boundaries," said Col. Bill Hyatt, 20th FW commander. "The processes become just as important as the organizational chart because it really does take the collective efforts of people throughout the wing to make this big machine function efficiently."

Major Hamilton has advice for preparing for future exercises and the upcoming ORI. The best thing that Airmen can do is to try to project themselves into the scenario as much as possible, he said.

Ask yourself, "If this were real, would I act differently?"

"If the answer is 'yes,' then you need to figure out why that is," the major said.

"Sometimes there is nothing you can do to avoid some of the 'make believe,' but often we accept less than realistic responses and delude ourselves into thinking the IG is going to accept that as well," Major Hamilton said.