JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson conducted a base-wide Energy Resilience Readiness Exercise June 10 to evaluate the installation’s ability to sustain operations during an extended power outage testing not just systems, but the readiness of the personnel and families.
For the duration of the event, mission-essential facilities operated entirely on backup power, forcing personnel to adapt to degraded conditions. For the 673d Logistics Readiness Squadron, that meant continuing logistics operations across supply, vehicle maintenance, and fuels infrastructure without any primary power.
“The ERRE is an exercise that provides the opportunity to test JBER’s mission generation and sustainment capability without a main base electrical power supply,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Tyler Starkey, an operations officer assigned to the 673d LRS. “Our team must adapt to and overcome the challenges presented by the lack of power.”
Key disruptions included the loss of flightline fuel fill stands, creating a challenge for aircraft refueling operations. Despite the limitations, petroleum, oils and lubricants Airmen quickly adjusted by employing a hydrant servicing vehicle to fill fuel trucks, bypassing traditional systems and maintaining support for an increase in flying missions.
“POL effectively doubled its daily output with minimal delays due to refueling aircraft,” Starkey said. “The loss of power caused delays to our fuel truck filling capabilities, but our POL Airmen and noncommissioned officers in charge showed some excellent critical thinking.”
The ERRE is a Department of the Air Force-directed event required under U.S. Code Title 10, which mandates military installations assess energy resilience and mission continuity in the event of extended outages. The exercise was supported by engineers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Power Reliability Enhancement Program and the Army’s 249th Engineer Battalion who assessed how well JBER responded to the utility disruption.
“Energy resilience is critically important to JBER and its strategic location in the arctic,” said Charles Rimbach, senior facility energy and resiliency program manager at Headquarters Air Force. “By having reliable infrastructure and tested processes, JBER will achieve its mission of protecting our homeland, projecting joint forces, and powering the joint base.’”
In addition to backup generator testing, the exercise identified risks and showed JBER’s ability to continue operations under pressure.
“It was great to see the flying missions and hot refueling during the degraded environment,” said Rimbach. “It sends a message to our adversaries that our forces are still able to execute the mission and re-establish deterrence.”
The exercise also reflected evolving Department of the Air Force priorities. According to U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Alexander Nelson, chief of Operations and Energy at Headquarters Air Force, ERREs are part of a broader push to strengthen energy assurance and meet goals outlined in the Installation Infrastructure Action Plan. “With JBER’s ERRE, we’re on track to achieving a portion of the Secretary of the Air Force’s goal of conducting 10 ERREs at installations in fiscal year 2025,” said Nelson.
While JBER’s performance demonstrated a high level of mission continuity, base units are already moving forward with improvements based on what was learned. For the 673d LRS, this includes developing localized power outage checklists, staging alternate fueling equipment, and collaborating with agencies such as the Defense Logistics Agency and Anchorage fuel distributors on a long-term generator refill plan.
“JBER must continue to be the entry into the Pacific, even without power,” Starkey said. “It’s important for different organizations to find alternate means to conduct their mission with limited infrastructure and loss of technology that may come with extended power outages.”
Though the simulated outage may have caused inconvenience to some on base, the importance of readiness for real-world scenarios was emphasized.
“Hopefully, family members and others that were affected by the utility outage gained a better understanding of how to be prepared for a long-duration outage,” Rimbach said. “It takes every mission on base to work together to establish resilience.”