Reserve units lead Patriot Hook joint exercise

  • Published
  • By Ms. Minnie Jones
  • 433rd Airlift Wing
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas --  Four Air Force Reserve Airlift Control Flights, federal, state and several municipal emergency response agencies convened April 20-25 in three Southern California locations to participate in Exercise Patriot Hook.

Patriot Hook is an annual joint-service exercise coordinated by the Air Force Reserve, designed to integrate the military and first responders of federal, state and local agencies by providing training to mobilize quickly and deploy in military aircraft in the event of a regional emergency or natural disaster.

“The objective of the Air Force Reserve Command and its partners is to exercise their capability to move rapidly to a location that has a natural disaster or some type of crisis. We practice crisis response to support and service the local community, state and government agencies as required,” said Lt. Col. Gordon J. Griggs, A3OM/Branch Chief, Readiness and Programs, AFRC, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. “Our goal is to ensure they receive supplies and resources so that they can continue to function.”

The 433rd Airlift Control Flight at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, staged at Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos, served as the lead agency during the exercise.

Other ALCFs participating in the exercise included the 452nd Air Mobility Wing from March Air Reserve Base, California, the 512th Airlift Wing from MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, and the 439th Airlift Wing at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. The other exercise locations were at the Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego Bay and the Naval Auxiliary Landing Field on San Clemente Island.

AFRC has five airlift control flights, consisting of experienced airlift personnel that manages, coordinates and controls air mobility assets.

All ALCF personnel train in the oversight of the air mobility process which includes: Command, Control, and Communications Systems and reporting, Tactical Airlift Command Center Mission Coordination, Air Operations Planning and Execution, Load Planning and Equipment Preparation and Aerial Port Operations.

ALCFs, when deployed, become Airlift Control Elements. Once on the ground in an austere location, their mission is to open an airfield and simulate a forward operating base.

The scenarios ran during the exercise focused on airbase defense, combat skills refresher, the Quick Response checklist/OPREP submission, medical response, Operational Readiness Inspection preparation and other areas of importance.

During this exercise, the three ALCFs supported more than 300 military, federal and state personnel. Some of the agencies participating in the exercise were California Air National Guard, the Coast Guard, Los Angeles' FBI Rapid Deployment Team, Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency California Task Forces, and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.

“The Air Force Reserve Patriot Hook exercise program is critical for the Contingency Response members to continually practice and sharpen perishable skills,” said Maj. Robert M. Acosta, 433rd ALCF, Contingency Response Element commander.

“The fluid dynamics of the exercise offer a true sense of realism with a limited support infrastructure, changing aircraft schedules, unpredictable weather conditions, airfield/airspace limitations, and the constant coordination required with support agencies and our joint and interagency exercise participants. All of which push the team to use their comprehensive capabilities to safely execute the tasked mission,” said Acosta.

One of the highpoints of this exercise was a visit from state and city officials, that included Kevin Chang, Field Representative for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA); Irving Pacheco, a Senior Field Representative in the office of Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA 33); Mayor Richard Murphy, City of Los Alamitos and Dr. Fadi Essmaeel from Homeland Security were invited by CA National Guard Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Reddicks, JFTB Los Alamitos, commander to Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base. Guests got to observe parts of the exercise and get a better understanding of the interaction between civil and military entities working together during the exercise. They also received a tour the C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft.

JFTB Los Alamitos, which is located in Southern California-Orange County, is a prime location for this type of training due to its strategic capability and the multitude of various governmental agencies on the base, including the Southern California Governor's Office of Emergency Services.
“It’s about the runways; it really is," said Reddicks. “You are not going to be able to respond to an area in Southern California without a platform similar to this. There is so much stuff they can bring into here, and you’re smacked in the middle of where the problem is going to be.”

“One of the keys behind this exercise is to learn about each other’s capabilities. All the agencies get to work through the problems of interactive response and go from there. That’s what it's all is about,” said Reddicks.