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readiness.
The 86th Munitions Squadron completed an exercise to prepare for real-world missions Aug. 2 on Ramstein.
The weeklong exercise was designed for Airmen to stay ready for any possible real-world mission that would demand shipment of ammunition anywhere in the world.
According to Staff Sgt. Chadwick Timmerman, 86th MUNS conventional maintenance supervisor, the exercise strengthened Airmen’s ability to transition to a high-tempo work environment at any time.
“We exercise quarterly to keep our skills up,” Timmerman said. “That way, whenever we’re asked to step it up, we can constantly be in motion and be knowledgeable on our jobs as we do so.”
Every quarter, the 86th MUNS designates a week when the work tempo increases to match that of a real-world mission’s high-tempo work environment.
Staff Sgt. Joseph Kolar, 86th MUNS munitions inspector, saw the progress these exercises made on Airmen.
“There’s a lot of planning that has gone into these. We just started these a couple quarters ago, so this is our third time,” Kolar said. “Everyone is getting better at it after learning from past experiences with the exercise; what worked, what didn’t work. It’s getting better, but there are still some kinks to iron out.”
During the exercise, Airmen were tasked to package and ship ammunition at a higher-than-normal level simulating a real-world response as well as ensuring the safety of the packages.
According to Timmerman, it’s a refreshing diversion from the normal duty day.
“I’m all about it. I love doing this stuff and playing hard,” Timmerman said. “Plus, it’s getting us out of our normal daily routines to really do our job together. It’s fun.”
This exercise followed a real-world mission which took place the weekend before. Kolar finds that the exercises helped prepare for these sudden missions.
“We had a real-world mission to Turkey,” Kolar said, who was a munitions inspector during the mission. “It was on short notice, and we had a day to get it ready and shipped. The mission went pretty well, and these exercises will prepare us for these real-world missions we’re expected to complete, which we have a lot of.”
