Page 12 - The Dispatch July 2019

TEXAS MILITARY DEPARTMENT TEXAS MILITARY DEPARTMENT
Airmen Up their “These skill-sets could be used during Hurricane

Harvey, when emergency services could not get
into communities,” said Sullivan. “Storms blow
down power lines, trees and overturn cars. We
Ground Game can come in and clear the route.”

Students put their skills to the test at a scenario
called Tornado Alley, a road made to simulate
the after-effects of a tornado as close to real life
Air Guard members practice ground convoy operations as possible. Overturned cars, buses, downed
during disaster recovery and combat operations power lines, steel beams and trees challenged
the team, as every piece of debris needed to
be pushed out of the road or cut from the path.
Sullivan said that training and expert instruc-
tion at Global Dragon is unlike anything else. Air National Guard members review map during tactical combat convoy training.
(U.S. Air National Guard photo by Airman Christopher Sherlock)
“There is no way we could set up a scenar-
io that this exercise could do; they have been
amazing,” Sullivan said. “We get to come here
and have the experts with us.”

Guardsmen also performed tactical convoy op-
erations training that simulated scenarios they
could encounter while deployed in support of
contingency operations. Improvised explosive
devices and ambushes greeted the Airmen as
they drove though the course. According to
Tech. Sgt. David Strobel, a civil engineer oper-
ations student with the 147th Attack Wing, the
training has prepared Airmen for real-world op-
erations.
Air Guardsmen remove debris from a roadway during convoy training for a disas-
ter area during state active duty missions.
Story By: Staff Sgt. Emmanuel Gutierrez & Airman Christopher Sherlock “This has given us the ability to almost go re- (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Emmanuel Gutierrez)
188th Wing Public Affairs al-world,” said Strobel. “We have people who

PERRY, Georgia – Airmen normally focus their gaze upward as the Texas are engaging us on the side of the road, it’s that
real-world feel without the real-world risks. It
Air National Guard’s C-130s, F-16s and Reapers thunder overhead, but gives me the training to protect myself.”
civil engineers with the 147th Attack Wing found their vision cast down
as they maneuvered Humvees through the hazardous conditions of con- Global Dragon is a biannual Air National Guard
voy courses during the Global Dragon Exercise held at the Guardian Cen- -led exercise that provides training for career
ters in Perry, Georgia.
fields across the mission support enterprise in
The first phase focused on disaster relief operations, teaching route as close to real-world conditions as possible. -D
clearing skills that would be encountered in the aftermath of a natural
disaster. Senior Master Sgt. Nathan Sullivan, a Global Dragon instructor (PAGE 12) Civil Engineer operations team members train on
from the 147th Attack Wing, taught Airmen the importance of clearing tactical convoy operations at Exercise Global Dragon 2019,
transportation routes in a reasonable amount of time to allow first re- held at Guardian Centers of Georgia, Perry, Georgia, May 28,
2019. Global Dragon is a biannual Air National Guard-led ex-
sponders to attend to victims. ercise focusing on career fields across the mission support en-
terprise in as close to real-world conditions as possible. (U.S.
Air National Guard photo by Airman Christopher Sherlock) Air National Guardsmen conduct casualty assessments and security patrols
simulate real-world convoy operations in a combat environment.
(U.S. Air National Guard photo by Airman Christopher Sherlock)
12 TheDISPATCH July 2019 www.tmd.texas.gov 13