“The inspection evaluated the wing’s preparedness for scenarios they might encounter in a contested combat environment and during real-world emergencies at home and abroad, and the wing scored in the top 5% of all Air Force wings,” the wing said Wednesday.
The exercise coincided with a base-wide anti-terrorism exercise at Wright-Patterson last week.
“One thing I appreciate about ANG (Air National Guard) wings is their ability to utilize strong base and community relationships to build intricate and rigorous combat readiness exercises,” Col. Michael Kuehni, Air Combat Command Inspectors General team chief, said in a statement. “The 178th is no exception. This was what we would consider a benchmark exercise.”
The inspection included representatives from the FBI, Ohio Department of Transportation, Civil Air Patrol, the Air Force Research Laboratory (which is headquartered at Wright-Patterson) and others.
Kuenhi said these inspections are important because they give the Air Combat Command the ability to verify that all wings are ready to execute active-duty missions.
The inspection featured what the wing said was a three-day encampment where airmen maintained continuous operation for 24 hours a day.
“The inspection included simulated power outages, drone attacks, cyber-attacks, controlled fires, and much more,” the wing said.
“This was an incredible accomplishment for our airmen,” said Senior Master Sgt. Matthew Polen, superintendent of the Inspectors General at the 178th Wing. “They endured grueling conditions and exhaustive tests of their capabilities and proved their excellence for all to see.”
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