Command post exercises organization skills Published July 26, 2012 By Tech. Sgt. Emily F. Alley 190th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- One of the world's largest military exercises, including dozens of countries and agencies, has an unprecedented involvement of the U.S. Air Force this year. Coordinating hundreds of flights and dozens of distinguished visitors are a handful of airmen from the 15th Wing Command Post. "We know how the mission works, how to run it well," said Master Sgt. Brook Whetsel, Superintendent of the 15th Wing Command Post. "That's what we do." In practice, the day-to-day operations of the Airmen in Whetsel's office are the same; they call contacts, monitor a daily flying schedule and smooth the stream of movement in and out of the airfield. The greatest change has been the sheer volume of aircraft that has arrived as part of the exercise. The office had previously coordinated about 10 flights every day, but there have recently been an additional 50 to 60, or more. Whetsel helped coordinate the unique surge in taskings and took steps to accommodate the missions by adding manpower to his office and pioneering integrated communication between the agencies. "It's very exciting," said Capt. Andrew J. Stewart, Chief of 15th Wing Command Post. "It was a process to splice the processes of the agencies and branches into ours." By its nature, the work of the command post is behind-the-scenes, but their role has been integral to a successful exercise. The members gain real-world experience in their career field throughout and they've been commended for excellent communication that minimized issues, said Stewart. For example, one of the challenges was to coordinate the reception of distinguished visitors, who have arrived with the extraordinary pace of about 10 flights every day. Often, the visits were last-minute, or the identity of the visitor was a surprise. The exercise has brought the Secretary of the Navy and the Australian Minister for Defense, among others. "It's always a unique challenge. You never know who's coming," said Stewart. "The challenge was to make the pieces work on schedule, and treat the visitors with respect." As the Airmen of the command post balanced distinguished visitors, exercise missions and real-world flights, they determined which flights had priority. "We deal with anything that has to do with flying," said Airman 1st Class Jacob Rowland, a command post controller who worked additional 12-hour shifts to assist with the exercise. "They may be from Australia, Thailand, or Canada, but they get treated the same way." Manning in the command post increased from two to three personnel during the exercise due to the tempo of operations. "At times, they would have a phone in one hand and a radio in the other," said Stewart, describing about the work load. "Our mission has quadrupled, to say the least, with RIMPAC being here," said Whetsel. "This is totally in line with our mission set, our core function." Although the exercise is one of the largest in the world, the Air Force has traditionally had a minimal role. This year's participation is unprecedented and the command post is at the forefront of that involvement. The main room of the 15th Wing Command Post, with dim, recessed lighting and silent video monitors is as serene as the outside runway is chaotic. The Airmen work away from the scream of aircraft engines, which has grown exponentially in the past few weeks with the exercise. But because of their work, the airstrip is organized as well.