Exercise Tests Air Force, Army Rapid Deployment Joint Capabilities

CAMP SHELBY, Miss. (AFNS) --

The 821st Contingency Response Squadron out of Travis Air Force Base, California, completed its Joint Task Force-Port Opening (JTF-PO) validation assessment during Exercise Turbo Distribution 26-2 at Camp Shelby, May 21-27.

The weeklong, multi-domain scenario tested the timely execution of a united, agile and joint response effort following a simulated typhoon, bringing together the 821 CRS's rapid airfield assessment and stand-up expertise with the U.S. Army's inland cargo and port-handling skills to guarantee that troops and supplies are moved efficiently in both austere and contested environments.

Heading operational security for the exercise was U.S. Air Force Capt. Alec Zimmerman, 821 CRS Defense Force commander, who led the charge for responses to possible chemical outbreaks, hostile protests and for the first time in the exercise's history, integrated organic small unmanned aircraft systems incursions (sUAS) and counter-sUAS capabilities.

"In today's contested environments, the threat to air bases is truly multi-domain," Zimmerman said. "We aren't solely securing the perimeter against ground actors anymore; we are actively monitoring and defending the airspace."

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, sUAS are defined by weighing less than 55 pounds and are a continuous and evolving threat to the security and mission of military installations and Air Force personnel.

"It enabled us to actively detect, track, and mitigate aerial threats before they could disrupt JTF-PO airfield operations," Zimmerman said. "I am incredibly proud of how this team leveraged new capabilities to successfully thwart a multitude of ground and air [simulated] threats, preparing our team to execute real-world operations."

The more than 30 career fields represented by the participating Airmen and Soldiers battled against extreme working conditions, both through the exercise's simulated typhoon and real-world weather as Camp Shelby accumulated close to 10 inches of rain throughout the week.

"Exercises like Turbo Distribution are absolutely critical because they build the readiness of our joint forces to rapidly deploy and establish initial distribution networks," said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Jennifer Prouty, 621st Contingency Response Wing deputy director of staff and JTF-PO commander for the exercise. "This rigorous training ensures that our teams are ready, agile and prepared to deliver a rapid response during any global crisis. Working shoulder-to-shoulder with our Army counterparts allows us to leverage a robust network of joint skills, ensuring Soldiers and Airmen are united to achieve our shared objectives in both austere and contested environments."

Exercise Turbo Distribution is a recurring, joint U.S. Transportation Command field training exercise that prepares a ready force for geographic combatant commands to open a seaport and move all arriving materiel from the port of debarkation to a forward node or the end-user.