Talisman Sabre
Helping
deployed air forces WOC together
Snapshots from Legais
Inflatable health care
Blue
Movers
By
Andrew Stackpool
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Director
of the Blue Wing Operations Centre, WGCDR Neville Dawson,
left, discusses exercise flying issues with US Navy LEUT
Matt Walsh.
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Photo by LAC Guy Young.
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The
Blue Force Wing Operations Centre (WOC) coordinates
air movements for friendly forces during Exercise
Talisman Sabre.
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WOCs
are tailored to specific exercises and operations,
and are established during the planning phase.
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FLYING
at the highest possible standards is the optimum goal for any
pilot.
Part and parcel of those standards is the question of air safety.
Nowhere should this be more important than in a major exercise
or operational environment, where a diverse range of aircraft
employed on different tasks, which may not necessarily be compatible,
use a relatively limited airspace.
Exercise Talisman Sabre provides a significant problem for managers
of airspace safety.
During the four-week exercise, more than 100 military aircraft
from Air Force bases around Australia and the American aircraft
carrier USS Kitty Hawk will be operating in the Shoalwater Bay
Training Area and adjacent waters.
They include F-111, Hornet, Orion, Caribou, Hercules, Learjet
and American Hawkeye, Prowler and Greyhound fixed wing aircraft.
Rotary types include Seahawks, Black Hawks and Chinooks.
A diverse range of aircraft employed on a diverse range of tasks.
Responsibility for managing the deconfliction of airspace usage
has fallen on Wing Commander Neville Dawson from RAAF Base Edinburgh.
WGCDR Dawson is the Director of the Blue Force Wing Operations
Centre, the Blue WOC.
WGCDR Dawson says the WOC acts as a conduit between the Combined
Air Operations Centre (CAOC) and the frontline units.
“The CAOC produces the daily air tasking order, which is
the document that covers flying for a specific day,” he said.
“It not only authorises all flights, it also aids in the
deconfliction of those aircraft in the exercise air space.
“We are responsible for ensuring that the document is correct
and distributing it to our Blue flying units.”
WGCDR Dawson stressed the importance of safety in the air.
“At the end of the day this is only an exercise and I am
most concerned that the number of landings equals the number of
take-offs,” he said.
In addition to assisting the management of air safety, the WOC
provides the interface for administration support to the participating
units. No. 323 Combat Support Squadron is tasked to provide administration
support for the exercise. Any issues to do with support services
are directed through the WOC rather than by direct liaison between
the units and 323CSS.
“The WOC also provides the CAOC with a single point of contact
with the ‘coalface’ and this concept is working extremely
well,” WGCDR Dawson said.
The WOC is staffed by a combination of Australian and American
personnel from the three Services. Ten of the staff are American
and WGCDR Dawson said they had settled in well.
“It isn’t just an Australian WOC, we are about building
relationships and interoperability,” he said.
“Obviously, there are differences in the way we do business
but we are well able to work round those areas and develop common
templates.
“We are also getting people [from] very different wings together
here. Apart from my folks from No. 92 Wing, I have representatives
from No. 86 Wing and Headquarters Air Command. I also have some
Reservists, for whom the WOC is proving to be a great training
world. It is not too often that these people get the chance to
work together in this type of environment.”
WGCDR Dawson said setting the WOC to work had provided some challenges.
The unit is not permanent, but is established under the planning
process before any operation or exercise. It doesn’t necessarily
follow the same pattern on each occasion. Rather, it is tailored
for a specific event.
During Talisman Sabre, there is a Blue and Red WOC, but the Red
WOC is smaller, as the Red force has fewer assets assigned to
it. The size and type would change again in real-world operational
situations. Consequently, there are no standard procedures to
set it to work.
“We stood up on June 6 when the advance party arrived in
Townsville. The first exercise flying began on June 13 with the
start of the work-up phase and it has continued from then on.
“We definitely needed that week to set up and test communications,
develop formats and work out what I needed to support me as the
Director, as well as the reporting protocols to the CAOC. However,
that early effort means the WOC is working well.
“We are executing flying safely and the crews are getting
some great training. My team are all working well and we are doing
the job required of us – basically, we are on track and on
time.
“Obviously, there are organisational lessons to be learned
and I’ve learned a lot of personnel ones as well.
“The job has proved to be a real challenge but at the same
time is also very rewarding.
“I know the folks here are also getting some satisfaction
that they are doing a terrific job. I’m sure they realise
they are the necessary link that ensures the air side of the war
happens and that it happens safely.
“We have an important job to do and I believe we are doing
it well.”
Helping
deployed air forces WOC together
By
LT Simone Heyer
HOSTING
squadrons on your base during a combined, joint exercise isn’t
always an easy job.
During Exercise Talisman Sabre, Wing Commander Mark Green, from
No. 82 Wing, is the man with the plans in his position at the
Wing Operation Centre (WOC).
The role of the WOC is to provide interface between Amberley-based
squadrons and the air operations centre.
WGCDR Green said if squadrons had difficulties, or required clarification
of orders, then the WOC liaised between squadrons to sort it out.
“If there are issues, from fuel to accommodation, we deal
with it,” he said.
“Our team is mainly 82WG with augmentation from the Reserves,
air defence, air traffic control, ops, intelligence, and a US
Navy captain.
“All of the disciplines a squadron would be supported by
on their home base, we have within the WOC.”
He said the WOC had a work-up week to familiarise people with
their workspace, then completed the rest of the exercise.
Heavy liaison was done with the air ops centre – based for
the first week in Williamtown. Air ops then moved to USS Blueridge,
which WGCDR Green said added an extra challenge.
“An exercise like this lets us know what needs to be done
to operate effectively in this kind of environment.
“We benefited from working with the Americans in the flying
and land parts of the exercise, but also with Air Command.”
Snapshots
from Legais
On
the admin front
AFTER
only 18 months in the Air Force, Aircraftwoman Melissa Brown has
spent her first deployment working alongside US forces.
The 21-year-old clerk from No. 26 (City of Newcastle) Squadron
said, “being a clerk, I spend most of my time in the office,
so it’s great to get out on a deployment where we are sleeping
in tents and working in a makeshift orderly room.
“This is the first opportunity I’ve had to work with
US forces on a combined joint exercise and I’ve really enjoyed
interacting with them.”
Sabre
tooth
FAR
from the dentist chair at RAAF Base Richmond, Squadron Leader
Robert Turnbull has been busy treating teeth.
From No. 3 Combat Support Hospital, the senior dentist said it
was great to get out in the field and support the exercise.
“The normal dental problems that people have at home they
may encounter here,” he said.
“We have been treating the Americans and Australians alike,
seeing patients with toothaches, broken fillings and infected
gums, while also doing some preventative dental work.”
Inflatable
health care
By
LT Simone Heyer
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FLTLT Annalise Rosenthal provides medical assistance on
a simulated casualty during Exercise Talisman Sabre.
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The
administration room at No. 3 Combat Support Hospital.
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Photos
by CPL Bernard Pearson
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The
hospital's facilities include:
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28
beds
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an
operating theatre
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intensive
care unit
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medium
and low dependency wards
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pathology
and radiology departments
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environmental
health cell
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admin
and operations cell
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support
elements
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When
someone says inflatable hospital, images of a jumping castle filled
with doctors spring to mind. This couldn’t be further from
the truth for visitors to RAAF Base Richmond’s No. 3 Combat
Support Hospital, which deployed on Exercise Talisman Sabre.
3CSH’s medical and support team has been waiting keenly for
a chance to deploy the hospital, which previously has only participated
in shakeouts.
CO 3CSH Wing Commander Steve Davis said the Expeditionary Health
Facility Level 3 (EHFL3) had deployed to the exercise to provide,
in the field, what a small hospital would.
“We have the capability here to do initial wound and life-saving
surgery, then transport patients to other care,” he said.
The hospital has two rotary wing aircraft at its disposal.
“Kinds of injuries we see are normal for the environment.
Military operations are inherently dangerous. From parachute jumps
we see lower limb or head trauma injuries, as well as road accident
casualties, snake bite and flu outbreaks.”
He said the hospital had only seen minor injuries and sickness.
“There have been very few casualties,” he said.
“We’re prepared to give ADF and US personnel the best
care possible in the event of a casualty.”
WGCDR Davis said the EHFL3 could provide emergency medical support
within four hours of touching the ground in an emergency.
But for Exercise Talisman Sabre, hospital staff had time to set
up completely before the exercise started.
He said it took 48 hours to set up 18 tents of the hospital, which
are rolled out, and then supports are inflated to give the tents
a solid structure.
Inside the inflatable tents’ sand-coloured walls lies a rabbit’s
warren of rooms connected by completely covered walkways, creating
a totally sealed environment.
Everything looks and smells clean, medical personnel sit at computer
terminals or check equipment. It’s quiet and relaxed, but
at a moment’s notice, the area would turn into a highly efficient
care-giving facility.
Forty-eight health care members are on staff at the hospital,
a mixture of full-time Air Force and Specialist
Reserves. WGCDR Davis said the two combined well to provide a
full suite of care.
A 50-person combat support element attended the hospital.
WGCDR Davis said a validation team would be assessing the hospital’s
conduct during the exercise to make it part of the Order of Battle.
He said that as the CO, he was glad to see the hospital wasn’t
busy.
“If we’re not busy, it means the guys in the field are
okay,” he said.
For
more on Exercise Talisman Sabre, visit Centrepiece.
Blue movers
Helping deployed air forces WOC together
Snapshots from Legais
