571st CRG flies Eagle Flag

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Lindsey Hahn
  • 60th AMW Public Affairs
LAKEHURST NAVAL AIR ENGINEERING STATION, N.J. --  The 571st Contingency Response Group participated in Eagle Flag, a pre-deployment exercise, from Feb. 28 to March 10 to exercise their capability to open and sustain an air operations hub. 

More than 90 people with job specialties from aerial port to intelligence participated in the exercise, which tested each one’s role in setting-up, sustaining and handing-off their job to their follow-on counterparts. 

“The exercise was a very good test of our abilities and it challenged us in our transition to sustainment forces,” said Col. Jennifer Pickett, 571st CRG commander. “We have learned a lot about that portion of our mission.” 

The scenario challenged several aspects of handing-over operations from the lead group to the follow-on. 

“I think the exercise provided a good condensed representation of how we would set-up and transfer operations to follow-on forces,” said Capt. Matthew Vincent, 570th Global Mobility Squadron aerial port flight commander. "It also serves to illustrate areas where we need to adapt or improve our processes before we get out into the field and should help us streamline our planning and execution for future deployed operations. The exercise brought all the issues of deployment, including bed down, logistical lay-out of the base and force protection, which sparks creative thinking and planning.” 

In this exercise, the 571st CRG handed off to their follow-on group the 421st Air Expeditionary Wing from Pope Air Force Base, N.C., while cadre from the Air Mobility Command Warfare Center evaluated the group’s specialties throughout the exercise. 

The scenario presented to the participants began as a Global War on Terrorism exercise and turned into a humanitarian exercise after a tsunami had hit the region. 

However, the 571st CRG’s mission remained the same: to open an air operations hub to project and sustain forces worldwide, which is one of the newest capabilities for the United States Air Force. 

“This scenario tested our ability to interact and team with the host nation, United Nations and non-governmental organizations, enhancing our understanding of the many external factors that must be considered in any foreign operation,” said Captain Vincent. 

After a week of exercising in cold New Jersey weather, the team left with a lot of new information and a feeling of success. 

“The teamwork with the 43rd Mission Support Group has been great and all of those who are assigned or supporting the 571st CRG were motivated, professional troops who got the job done despite challenging weather and limited resources,” said Colonel Pickett. 

The group, which is able to deploy within 12 hours of being tasked, spends their time training in exercises such as these when they are not participating in real world operations. The group stood up in June.