Joint Rescue Exercise 98
Story by Maj Herb Porter - Photos courtesy U.S. Air Force
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Our 242nd Combat Communications Squadron, headquartered at Geiger Field in Spokane, WA recently participated in a Joint Combat Search & Rescue Test - Joint Task Force (JCSR-JTF) event known as the Joint Rescue Exercise 98 - or JREX 98 - providing secure data and voice communications via satellite link for this important multi-service, active duty exercise involving both fixed and rotary wing aircraft from the joint services.
Recently, MSgt Charles E. Kimmel, NCOIC of TRI-TAC Radio Maintenance, WA Air National Guard wrote in response to this article...
The 242nd was not the only unit from the 252nd Communications Group to participate in this exercise. The 111th ASOC provided the Satcom terminal for the WADS part of the link. The Satcom operators were from both the 111th ASOC (Camp Murray) and the 143rd CCS (Seattle). The data technicians at WADS were from the ASOC, 143rd, and 242nd. These people also worked very hard to make this exercise a success!"
Thanks MSG Kimmel... this is YOUR Website!
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The 242nd provided the base of operations, with communications links between both sides of the state, linking the renowned active duty US Air Force Survival School at Fairchild AFB with the Washington Air National Guard's Western Air Defense Sector (WADS) facility at McChord AFB.
The JCSR-JTF is a multi-service, active duty and reserve component special task force formed to evaluate and redesign rescue operations and techniques. They are finding ways to eliminate the differences in the way the various branches of our military approach rescue operations, so that they are able to conduct joint operations more smoothly.
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Utilizing both fixed and rotary wing aircraft from different services, the exercise took place in the Colville National Forest in Northeast Washington, within the Roosevelt and Okanogan Military Operating Areas.
The operation ran from the 4th through the 14th of June, as the Spokane based unit provided continuous and tactically responsive secure data and voice communications, including military cellular phone access, local area network (LAN) computer connectivity, specialized point-to-point computer connectivity, and standard phone service.
A wide variety of state-of-the-art communications equipment was used including an TSC-93 Satellite Communications System, TRC-170s, TSSRs, FCC-100s, C-TAPS Terminals, and 3865 SB Digital Phone Switches.
The exercise involved nearly 700 people in 50 exercise missions. Both day and night operations were conducted using military helicopters (Army Apache AH-64s and Navy H-60 Seahawks) fixed-wing jet aircraft (Air Force A-10 Thunderbolts, Navy F-14 Tomcats and F-18 Hornets). On the ground, in addition to the "survivors" were the Combat Rescue Teams - the Pararescue operatives - the famed "PJ's".
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During the exercise simulated "survivors" from downed aircraft were placed in areas where they practiced their survival training skills. They were paired with trained Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) experts from the Survival School at Fairchild AFB. All the while specially equipped aircraft and Pararescue teams staged out of Geiger Field, located each of the "downed airmen" and conducted tactical rescues to extract them from "hostile territory".
JREX 98 featured the most current technology in real-time tracking, as the Player Event Reconstruction System (PERS) was tested for the first time in the Inland Northwest. This new system combines the latest in multi-media hardware and software to provide the Exercise Monitors from the JCSR-JTF with unprecedented views of the mission, as it happens, from the perspectives of both the rescuers and the survivors. In this way important data is gained that will allow the experts to further streamline combat search and rescue efforts.
Overall, JREX 98 was a resounding success! Volumes of valuable information were acquired, making the conduct of future rescue operations faster, safer and more reliable. For the 242nd CBCS, which is part of the 252 Combat Communications Group, headquartered at Camp Murray, Tacoma WA, it was a great "real world" opportunity to, once again, put their training into practice and provide reliable, secure communications to its flying customers anywhere, anytime.
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