HADR training keeps DAGRE 'sharp' Published Aug. 2, 2016 18th Wing Public Affairs KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- Sweat glistens on his face, his eyes peer back and forth, weapon at the ready and watching for any movement. As the old saying goes, practice like you play, because for deployed aircraft ground response element (DAGRE) Airmen, there’s no room for anything but success. Airmen with the 353rd Special Operations Group (SOG) participated in a training exercise at Kadena Air Base, Japan, July 27, 2016. The scenario gave them the opportunity to practice humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations. “Building partnerships with foreign entities doesn't always involve the two nation's militaries, it can also come in the form of humanitarian assistance,” said Capt. Ceasar Baldemor, 353rd Special Operations Support Squadron DAGRE flight leader. The purpose of this training exercise is to keep the DAGRE sharp and ready to tackle any situation they may find themselves in, wherever they are deployed to complete the mission. “In one way or another, we're always training for a HADR mission,” said Baldemor. “For the DAGRE flight, our core mission is security because we make sure the aircraft gets off the ground safely and that special tactics can perform their critical mission.” When things kick off in the Pacific, the phones at the 353rd SOG are some of the first to ring. DAGRE personnel can be tasked to operations such as providing fly-away security, flight deck denial, pararescue and combat control team escort, airfield security and personnel recovery operations. “This evening, we wanted to test all of these mission capabilities over a 24-hour period,” said Baldemor. During the exercise, the DAGRE team responded to a crisis in a fictional country where the local population, portrayed by Airmen assigned to the 18th Force Support Squadron (FSS), was desperately trying to be evacuated. The team used a training area with a burnt-out plane, normally used for fire training, as an aircraft waiting to load up refugees. After securing the airfield and setting up security, the team encountered their first refugees. They neutralized the restless refugees, then searched and escorted them to the aircraft. Following the refugee encounter, the was then outnumbered by a group of people wanting to get on the plane. They promptly calmed the crowd and restored order. Shortly after the crowd incident, DAGRE members were attacked from two sides by enemy resistance, simulated by members assigned to the 18th Security Forces Squadron. Swiftly and accurately, they returned fire, neutralizing the threat while simultaneously protecting the group of refugees. Afterward, the area was cleared of any additional threats and the remaining refugees were loaded onto the aircraft. As the sun sank below the tree line and darkness fell upon them, night vision goggles (NVG) were pulled out and donned; under the green glow of NVG, the team was ready for the next part of the mission. An important person was missing and recovering him was their mission. Slipping under the cloak of night, the team made their way through the jungle, down the road and off the beaten path. They found their man with simulated injuries, provided essential first aid and took him safely back to the extraction point. Once back, the team was ambushed, this time at night and from the cover of the surrounding trees. Again, they responded with appropriate force and maintained control of the situation, finally reaching the aircraft so they could take off to safety. “They performed very well considering we threw numerous complex [exercise] injects at them,” said Baldemor. “We wanted to see how they would setup security over a wide area, such as an airfield, with only a small number of people, how they would execute effective crowd control measures when there is panic and desperation in the air, and finally, how well they are going to work as a team to get the mission done.”