Exercise Polar Force tests capabilities of JBER Airmen

by Airman 1st Class Omari Bernard
JBER Public Affairs

2/14/2014 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Air Force personnel and DoD civilians assigned to 673d Air Base Wing and 3rd participated in Exercise Polar Force 14-2, an operational readiness exercise, Feb. 4 through 12, designed to test Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson's short-notice deployment capabilities.

The week-long ORE validated and evaluated the wings' ability to integrate, mobilize and prepare assigned personnel, aircraft and equipment for their wartime mission and to employ forces and weapons systems to perform missions at a the drop of a
hat.

In phase one of the exercise, base personnel were called upon to be prepared for multiple scenarios, ranging from noncombatant evacuation operations to mass deployments within hours of being notified.

One of the scenarios included out-processing and ensuring chalks of deploying Airmen were ready.

"The Personnel Deployment Function's role is to check the eligibility of everyone deploying," said Air Force 1st Lt. Meghan Cummings, 673d Force Support Squadron military personnel section chief.

The PDF line is made up of a series of stations people process through. Stations included chaplains or chaplains assistance, legal aid, financial aid and medical services.
"We coordinate with the medical folks on our line to make sure that they are all medically cleared," Cummings said. "Then we get them briefed. Then we pack them up and send them out."

The PDF line is a final check to ensure that deployers have met all the training requirements.

During the noncombatant evacuation operations scenario, base personnel organized and assisted with the arrival of simulated displaced personnel, including the participation of volunteers portraying inbound arrivals waiting to be escorted. Airmen in civilian attire were used in these situations to help increase accuracy and realism throughout the exercise.
According to Joint Publication 3-68, "NEOs are conducted to assist the Department of State in evacuating noncombatants, nonessential military personnel, selected host-nation citizens, and third country nationals whose lives are in danger from locations in a host foreign nation to an appropriate safe haven and/or the United States."

"I briefed the evacuees on operational security using social media," said Air Force Staff Sgt. Zachary Wolf, 673d ABW photojournalist. "I showed them how to set their security settings."

Polar Force proved the wing's war fighting capability to prepare, deploy
and redeploy.