More than 300 Reserve Citizen Airmen teamed with their Guard and active-duty counterparts to sharpen their skills during the inaugural Pacific Warriorz exercise at Schofield Barracks in Oahu, Hawaii, this summer.
Reservists from the 624th Regional Support Group, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, participated in PWZ-21 and conducted their own local readiness exercise in June. The readiness exercise tested the group’s ability to deploy and employ its Airmen. PWZ-21 provided vital readiness training in the areas of tactical combat casualty care, land navigation, troop leading procedures, convoy operations, radio usage/etiquette, base defense and casualty evacuation loading procedures, among other skills.
“We all came together to create this opportunity to get in front and teach our skills,” said Capt. John Penaranda, 624th Civil Engineer Squadron Readiness Flight commander. “Going forward, we want our teams to know they can rely on their fellow Airmen from across the 624th RSG. Regardless of their AFSC, when our Airmen meet on a contingency operation, they should be able to say ‘I trained alongside you during PWZ-21. I know your strengths and can count on you.’ Ultimately, we want to create a team of resilient, multi-capable Airmen who can operate independently to generate missions and project power.”
The PWZ exercise tested the group’s ability to train and implement the war-fighting concepts of Agile Combat Employment and Multi-Capable Airmen while working in an austere environment.
Agile Combat Employment challenges Airmen in smaller groups to establish base operations under extreme conditions quickly and efficiently. From putting boots on the ground to evacuating on short notice, the training provided Airmen skills and abilities that crossed standard job lanes, increasing survivability and adaptability in contingency operations.
“PWZ-21 presented many challenges and unforeseen variables,” said Master Sgt. Darren Clemen, 624th CES. “In typical Air Force fashion, the Airmen were quick to adapt and generate solutions which ultimately led to a very successful event. These types of training events are tremendous in preparing our Airmen and building those relationships across our Total Force. I am looking forward to PWZ-22.” #ReserveReady
(Topasna is assigned to the 624th Regional Support Group’s public affairs office.)