Kentucky Air Guard’s Contingency Response Group provides key capabilities for Patriot 26

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Angelee Barnett
  • 123rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
VOLK FIELD COMBAT READINESS TRAINING CENTER, Wis. --  Members of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group provided key support to exercise Patriot 26 here Aug. 20 through 27.

Patriot 26 was a disaster-response training exercise conducted by the National Guard Bureau to sharpen the humanitarian-relief capabilities of both Army and Air Guard units in a joint-service environment.

For this year’s scenario, groups were called to action by request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to perform Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Response in the wake of severe flooding and forest fires.

The structure of the CRG allows the unit to establish a fully functional and portable air base to support disaster areas prior to a larger group’s arrival. The team contains many sub-units that mimic the structure of the average wing, including medical personnel, security forces, aerial port, craft maintenance and communications.

Lt. Col. Andrew Kochman, commander of the 123rd Contingency Response Support Squadron, calls the CRG an “air base in a box.”

“We try to bring all the aspects of what you would find at a full-size air base to be able to establish a quick footprint and get things flowing smoothly,” Kochman said. “Our team is designed to bridge that gap between the disaster occurring and that bigger force being able to come in and provide more robust support to help out.”

The 123rd CRG was one of the first units on the scene at Patriot 26, establishing a fully functioning base-of-operation and preparing for future exercise-based search and rescue, medical evacuation, cargo handling and aerial reconnaissance.

According to Kochman, the group’s response was quick and efficient despite having Airmen arrive with minimal information about the conditions they would face on the ground.

That was by design.

“Part of our job is to assess the airfield to understand the strength of the runway itself, especially after a natural disaster,” Kochman said. “You don't know if there's been damage to the airfield… and in a very quick amount of time, we’re able to provide a report to let everyone know it’s safe to land and bring in heavier aircraft and additional forces.”

CRG teams were assessed on their ability to respond throughout the exercise, with each scenario giving newer members the opportunity to learn with hands-on experience. Airmen with more experience were tasked with honing skills and passing on knowledge through training.

In that way, Kochman said, Patriot 26 enhanced the group’s ability to develop larger skillsets in support of a crucial Air Force capability.

“During Exercise Patriot, we're one of the first forces to come in the door so that we can build up the cargo ramp and start flowing all the additional players that will come in,” Kochman said. “Then, we get everyone out of here, home safely and on time, and are the last ones out the door to make sure that this exercise concludes successfully.”