Ready, set, ORE!

by Brig. Gen. Rich Johnston
KMC and 86th Airlift Wing commander


***image1***There are two certainties in life; death and taxes. In the military we can add yet another; inspections.

Team Ramstein is participating in a phase I and II operational readiness exercise this week and next. The Ramstein wings completed an operational readiness inspection in April of 2006 with an overall “Excellent” grade. This ORE serves as a rehearsal for the next ORI and is instrumental in ensuring our Airmen remain trained and ready for real-world scenarios. 

Nearly 500 Airmen from the 86th Airlift Wing and 435th Air Base Wing will be deployed for “Wing Lightning” to tent city on the southside of the runway, and approximately 60 Airmen from the 86th Contingency Response Group will perform operations at an old Air Force airfield in Zweibrücken.

The ORE scenario, borrowed from real-world U.S. African missions in Sudan, requires the wings to move peacekeeping troops into a medium-threat environment and restore stability after hostile forces disrupted government services. During this ORE, the wing will also demonstrate the ability to respond simultaneously to a humanitarian crisis in the same area.

This exercise is complex and demanding − and serves as a venue to maintain readiness, validate compliance with Air Force instructions, and most importantly, train our Airmen.