ROCK I 18-06 exercise: LRAFB adapts to deployed conditions

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Grace Nichols
  • 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

Service members from Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, maintain deployment readiness by learning and adapting to mission-oriented protective posture conditions on a constant basic. Their knowledge was tested during the deployment-related exercise ROCK I 18-06 June 18-22, 2018.

The purpose of the exercise ensured Airmen knew proper procedures and protocols in the event of a ground, air or missile attack while operating in a deployed environment.

“We want to make sure we’re as ready as possible,” said Staff Sgt. Stafford Hampton, ROCK I 18-06 player and 19th Force Support Squadron manpower specialist. “The threats are always here; we’re just trying to make sure we’re more trained than the threat.”

Simulated attacks and wing inspection team member’s roleplaying deployment-related scenarios made the exercise as realistic as possible, with different missions tailored toward specific career fields.

“It’s very good to [train service members] on how to don masks, how to decontaminate and knowing the procedures so that when they’re deployed they know what to do,” said Staff Sgt. Robert Thornton, Rock I 18-06 WIT member and 19th Civil Engineer Squadron security assistant.

Exercises like Rock I 18-06 help ensure safe and effective mission execution and form a unified team of professional Airmen renowned for Combat Airlift.