8th FW participates in joint patriot missile battery exercise

by Senior Airman Katrina Heikkinen
8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

2/19/2015 - KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea  -- Airmen from the 8th Fighter Wing participated in a joint patriot missile battery exercise with the Alpha Battery, 2nd Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery, Feb. 11 as part of the battalion's quarterly field training exercise.

Airmen from the 8th Security Forces Squadron, 8th Civil Engineer Squadron Explosive Ordnance Disposal flight and 8th CES Fire Department responded to a simulated dropped patriot missile canister.

"A simulated missile battery drop is something we rarely practice," said U.S. Army Capt. Jessica Bohache, A/2-1 ADA BN battery commander. "We go through the procedures, and we talk them through, but this is the first time we have conducted this at Kunsan by coordinating with all the Air Force's agencies involved -- command post, fire department, EOD and security forces."

Although patriot missile maintainers complete semiannual reload evaluations, simulating a canister drop was not only a surprise inject for the Soldiers, but a first of its kind at the battalion. The patriot missile is a long-range, all-altitude, all-weather air defense system to counter tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missile and advanced aircraft. They were first deployed by U.S. Armed Forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"As a battery trainer with more than 10 years of experience, this is the first time I've seen a simulated missile drop," said U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jessica Willis, A/2-1 ADA BN air and missile defense tactician. "This is extremely important to practice, because in the munitions storage area, every time we conduct a missile reload, there's always the possibility for a potential mishap."

Incorporating the Air Force's response into the missile inject presented a new training opportunity for not only Soldiers directly involved, but also for the Wolf Pack.

"This simulated exercise illustrates the possibility of a threat to the population of Kunsan Air Base if the circumstances were different," said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jeremy Phillips, 8th CES EOD team leader. "We just want to make sure there's no danger to anyone, the scene is safe and business can carry on as usual on base. This is a skill set that isn't exercised that much [with the Army] so being able to come out and do a joint exercise has been a great opportunity."