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Exercise Beverly Bulldog 14-01 strengthens readiness

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jessica Haas and Airman 1st Class Ashley J. Thum
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs and 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  The peninsula-wide operational readiness exercise Beverly Bulldog 14-01 kicked off Nov. 15 on Osan and Kunsan Air Bases.

The exercise is designed to test the adaptability and combat capability of 7th Air Force personnel across the Korean peninsula and pinpoint areas of readiness that could be improved.

Beverly Bulldog 14-01 is different from previous exercises because for the first time, 7th Air Force headquarters is exercising alongside the wings, communicating with the two fighter wings as they would in a real-world contingency.

"This is the first time 7th AF has exercised the operational and tactical connection with the wings in many years," said Lt. Col. Edward Khim, 7th AF Inspector General. "Seventh Air Force's role is to coordinate the efforts of Osan, Kunsan and the Republic of Korea Air Force to practice defending the people of South Korea while taking the fight north."

For the 8th and 51st Fighter Wings, training with the headquarters provides an opportunity to make the exercise more realistic and therefore more valuable.

"For the 8th Fighter Wing, it is essential that we train like we fight," said Col. S. Clinton Hinote, 8th Fighter Wing commander. "This exercise allows us to train with our higher headquarters as well as our partners in the 607th Air Operations Center, the 51st Fighter Wing and the ROKAF. This opportunity to practice integration is precious, and we are taking full advantage of it."

As different as this exercise is, some things never change, and practicing the tactical-level execution of higher headquarters orders remains a cornerstone of the exercise.

"Our maximum weight of effort goes to realistic and robust readiness," said Col. Sean DeWitt, 51st Fighter Wing vice commander. "We're looking for surprise and flexibility. I hope that everyone has noticed that this is different from any other exercise that we've done."

Not only does Exercise Beverly Bulldog function as a training tool, but also as a way to evaluate and test procedures never practiced before. For the 8th FW, this meant testing the base relocation process.

"This year, leadership decided to turn plans into action by implementing Kunsan's relocation processes," said Senior Master Sgt. Ouida Daniels, 8th Force Support Squadron Wing Inspection Team member. "While there are Chemical Protection System dormitories located throughout base, not all Airmen are able to reside in these dorms."

Airmen were randomly selected to move from their non-CPS dorms into a protected dorm for 24-hour-period.

"We've always had a plan for this relocation process, but have never actually practiced it," said Daniels. "This exercise provided us with the opportunity to prove our ability to remain resilient under any circumstances - even under chemical warfare."

The ultimate goal is to learn, Khim said.

"There have been a lot of lessons learned, both good and bad," he said. "Making mistakes during an exercise is not necessarily a bad thing. It gives us the opportunity to learn our strengths and weaknesses and identify solutions to problems for more realistic and robust readiness."

DeWitt said exercise scenarios should be approached with a safe, real-world mindset and a positive attitude.

"In the end, in any exercise, you get out of it what you put into it," he said. "Have a sense of urgency and give yourself the maximum opportunity for training."