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Pope starts ORI prep

  • Published
  • By Maj. David Brummitt
  • 43rd Airlift Wing Plans and Programs
POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  One of the major opportunities for Pope warriors in 2008 is the upcoming Operational Readiness Inspection in late October. We must begin now to prepare ourselves as each unit and individual will play an important role in ensuring our success.

Let's start by addressing some common misconceptions and uncertainties with what we know. Despite Base Realignment and Closure changes, Pope still has great resources and has been tasked with almost 100 unit task codes and more than 300 people. The main difference is that we will not be the lead wing. The most likely scenario is the 139th Airlift Wing (Saint Joseph, Mo.) as lead wing being supported by Pope (43rd Airlift Wing) and 52nd Airlift Wing (Reno, Nev.). Notice this is strictly a 43rd AW ORI. The 440th Airlift Wing will participate in an ORI in February 2010, likely as the lead wing. Both preparations will be undertaken simultaneously so help each other out.

Preparation is the key. to these types of inspections. We should all start reviewing procedures and processes, becoming familiar with the Airman's Manual, and giving our best effort when participating in the upcoming Mobility Exercises.

There are five MOBEXs scheduled. They are designed to improve our ability to survive and operate, solidify our mobility processes, and strengthen our ability to complete missions under adversity. Our goal is to ensure all Airmen act with a sense of urgency and complete whatever task is necessary to accomplish the mission.

Each MOBEX will build upon the other, with Phase I emphasis being on cargo processing. Cargo processing is a very important aspect because if you're not prepared to properly process your unit's cargo, then you are not getting out of town, thus adversely impacting the mission as a whole.

Phase II actions will concentrate on ability to survive and operate actions, to include mission-oriented prevention postures, post-attack reconnaissance sweeps, and shelter in place. The Inspector General will grade all players in these events in addition to your expertise area. These events are led by squadron or agency exercise evaluation team backed up by the wing readiness experts in civil engineering. The goal in a MOBEX is hands-on experience. The idea is to get short duration concentrated exposure in wearing the MOPP gear, walking the PAR routes, going to the shelter in place, recognizing the unexploded ordinances and treating that wounded buddy. Pull out the Airman's Manual and discuss how to follow the checklist steps for marking a contaminated area, making the unit control center report, recognizing and treating for shock, and then do it. Play as realistic and hands on as possible. Countless IG grades that were on the fence were bumped up because of a good attitude and just as many were bumped down because players were simply going through the motions.

The best way to prepare for a test is know the test. The IG Web site has all the checklists for each area, the grading criteria and the ground rules. These MOBEXs support the IG grading structure so there should be no surprises during the real inspection. If you can't break the IG code, please call XP at 394-1310/1776.

This year will be filled with many opportunities and challenges, but it's hard to imagine an event that will involve more Pope personnel than the ORI -- what a great opportunity to show Pope Pride!