JBER LRS and support units exercise mobility readiness

773d Logistics Readiness Squadron members prepare cargo pallets for the Mission Support Group to process as part of the MSG’s annual mobility exercise March 10 at the Joint Mobility Center. In addition to cargo, the 773d LRS processed people for the first time for this exercise. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kyle Johnson)

JBER LRS and support units exercise mobility readiness

Senior Airman Allen De Palmer, a travel center clerk with the Traffic Management Office, augments the 773d Logistics Readiness Squadron and processes 673d Security Forces Squadron members as part of the Mission Support Group’s annual mobility exercise, March 10 at the Joint Mobility Center. This particular iteration of the exercise was the first time they processed people, not just cargo. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kyle Johnson)

JBER LRS and support units exercise mobility readiness

Published March 14, 2016
By Airman 1st Class Kyle Johnson
JBER Public Affairs

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- The 773d Logistics Readiness Squadron conducted the 673d Mission Support Group's annual mobility exercise March 10.

Each support group on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson who own deployable assets, but may not regularly deploy cargo, participates in these exercises to ensure maximum readiness, said Air Force Master Sgt. Rachel Palumbo, noncommissioned officer in charge of plans and programs for the 773d LRS.

"This mobility exercise is actually JBER-specific," Palumbo said. "The fact that we do this makes us stand out against other bases because other bases don't do this. Not a lot of bases have exercises to dust off the cobwebs and take a look at their cargo between deployments, operations, and maintenance, so this is a really unique process we have here and it makes us healthier as far as deploying as an installation."

Each group participates in the exercise annually, but the LRS hosts every one, so for them, it's a quarterly training, said Air Force 2nd Lt. Nichole Nicholson, deployments flight alternate installation deployment officer for the 773d LRS.

This particular iteration is unique because it's the first time they are processing personnel as well as cargo. Because deployments are so common, it's not standard procedure to incorporate personnel in these exercises, Palumbo said.

However, in the interest of providing the best possible training, they have been incorporated this time.

"The Air Force does a really good job of moving us a lot of different places, so you never know where you're going to end up or what you're going to be doing. So it's important to practice that muscle memory," Nicholson said. "It's not just good practice for that unit, it's also really good training for us and our augmentees. It's good for them to know what they need to do as well - what they need to be looking at and what they need to be looking for."

With these regular exercises, every group can deploy with minimum delay.

"At some point we will be required to do this, real-life," said Senior Airman Allen De Palma, a travel center clerk with the Traffic Management Office and augmentee assisting with processing the MSG. "Once that happens we'll be spun up, there won't be any issues and it'll be smooth sailing."