JBER stands ready for Arctic Shield

by Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert Barnett
673d Air Base Wing Public Affairs

3/24/2014 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- The 673d Air Base Wing and mission partners are combining resources to support exercise Alaska Shield 2014.

The exercise is in commemoration of the 1964 earthquake in Alaska, and designed to practice readiness in the event of a future major natural disaster.

"The scenario is an earthquake that will have crippling effects both on Anchorage and the strategic mission here," said Air Force Lt. Col. Chad Hazen, acting 673d Mission Support Group deputy commander.

Army, Air Force, Coast Guard and Navy active duty, Reserve, Air National Guard and Army National Guard will be participating in the exercise in coordination with national, state and local agencies.

The preparations include converting space in the JBER-Elmendorf physical fitness center and Hangar 5 into temporary sleeping areas for more than 1,200 visiting service members participating in the exercise.

The troops will come from units around the world, including the 7th Sustainment Brigade out of Joint Base Langley-Eustis,Va.; and the 593rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command out of Joint Base Lewis-McCord, Wash.

"I can't think of a time we've ever had this volume, size and scope of people on the ground for a 'bed down' exercise," Hazen said.

The Fitness Center hours are limited from March 15 to April 15. The basketball and racquetball courts and other exercise rooms are also off limits during those dates.
The staff cleared the floors and prepared the rooms for the cots so the service members can sleep there. The staff will also move the equipment back out for normal operations with limited hours, said Air Force Master Sgt. Scott Justice, EFC section superintendent.
Members of the civil engineer squadron installed blackout curtains on the glass of the fitness center racquetball court for the privacy of female occupants, he said.

"I think it's a good thing," Justice said. "I think it shows the capability of the base, what the base can do to house so many people during this exercise."

Fitness Center staff and volunteers moved equipment and installed tiles in the fitness center and a tarp at Hangar 5 to preserve and protect the floors and track, respectively.
"On Friday night, fitness center staff cleared the equipment off the free weights floor," said Air Force Master Sgt. Scott Justice, JBER-Elmendorf physical fitness center section superintendent. "A contracted cleaning crew gave the space a deep clean for the Soldiers to come in and sleep here for about a month."

The service members will be sleeping in the basketball courts, racquetball courts, aerobics and yoga rooms, Justice said.

While the use of these facilities for the exercise will pose an inconvenience, it is necessary, Hazen said.

"There are no other facilities on the installation or in the Anchorage area that were available and fiscally feasible," Hazen said. "When you get facilities big enough to start housing people by the hundreds, they tend to not have showers and other important infrastructure. We did look into shower trailers and other options that just proved to be implausible."

"We had to find space on JBER. We've done creative things with both facilities. Fitness staff moved popular classes like yoga over to Buckner [Physical Fitness Center]. We created a basketball tournament since we couldn't have a full season. We did a lot of things to minimize the impact on our patrons who count on these facilities."
"We recognize there are inconveniences to our patrons, but this is a very important mission we are executing," Hazen said.

The 773rd CES provided charging stations for electronic devices. There are jersey barriers around Hangar 5 for force protection purposes. The squadron assisted with dig permits and snow removal for outdoor tents just south of the hangar. Set-up began March 17 and will continue through the March 26. Communications tents will be in operation from March 22 through April 7, said Air Force Capt. Ryan Oot, 773rd Civil Engineer Squadron operations flight commander.

The exercise began as a state drill called Alaska Shield. Other organizations that are hosting coinciding exercises include the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Alaska National Guard, Joint Task Force - Alaska, North American Aerospace Defense Command, U.S. Northern Command, U.S. Transportation Command and several
other organizations.