Exercise Roundel Gasium prepares Travis to operate anytime, anywhere

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Jasmine Jacobs
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – From Nov. 14 - 20, Travis AFB conducted exercise Roundel Gasium to test the base’s ability to survive and operate in hostile environments.

The chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive response exercise, highlighted two key components: readiness and the base motto, “No Bounds.”

“Exercising our ability to operate in a contested environment is a necessary skill that will be used now and in the future keeping our warfighters safe and enabling global air mobility,” said Senior Master Sgt. James Mulhall, 60th Civil Engineer Squadron readiness and emergency management superintendent.

The exercise required Airmen to respond to a variety of scenarios including engaging enemy targets, properly donning protective equipment and conducting searches in potentially CBRNE contaminated environments, all while supporting the global mobility mission.

Exercises, such as Roundel Gasium, are conducted regularly across the Air Force to ensure Airmen can survive and operate while protecting national security interests, said Mark Wilson, 60th CES readiness and emergency management installation manager.

“We want to make sure our Airmen can bring the fight to any enemy in any domain anywhere in the world,” Wilson said. “Our adversaries are always looking for ways to defeat us, so we must solidify Travis’ role in supporting the National Defense Strategy and ensure our warfighters are trained to the maximum extent possible.”

During the week-long exercise, Airmen were evaluated by members of the 60th Air Mobility Wing inspection team on items such as wear of proper protective gear.

Information collected from the exercise will be shared with the base’s senior leaders in an effort to improve capabilities, said Mulhall.

“Conducting basewide, full-scale exercises has many benefits,” Mulhall added. “By exercising like we fight, those skills learned in training become second nature to our warfighters, and they are more prepared to confront the enemy.”