EET determines readiness of Tinker

Published March 19, 2009
By Brandice J. Armstrong
Tinker Public Affairs

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla., -- Tinker Airmen are trained to expect the unexpected and be prepared for the unknown. But, when their skills are tested, their actual level of readiness is determined by the installation's Exercise Evaluation Team.

Approximately 170 subject-matter experts make up the EET. Knowledgeable in an array of topics and specific career fields, EET members help the Installation Exercise Program Office plan exercises, evaluate participants, review findings and discuss results with IEPO officials. EET members participate in roughly 25 exercises each year. They also report on the way participants handle specific situations during real-world events.

"The team as a whole provides commanders a snapshot of readiness," said Jonny Conover, IEPO senior exercise evaluator. "The evaluator is not there to harass the employee. They're there to look and review the processes and make sure everything is according to instructions."

Throughout a fiscal year, the IEPO organizes medical-concentrated exercises, natural disaster response exercises, continuity of operations exercises and chemical-biological-radiological-nuclear and explosive exercises. EET members, depending on their specialties - major accident response exercise, wartime materiel support, force protection/deployment and employment - survey the scenes with as much detail as an inspector general. The depth of their findings is scenario driven, Mr. Conover said.

For example, if an EET member observes to ensure self-aid buddy care was properly administered, the results are likely to be more detailed than if an EET member asks the location of a casualty collection point.

"It's essentially a robust self-inspection program," said Maj. William Breedlove, a health services administration EET member of one year. "It allows members from each functional area on base to design exercises for their team and then grade the effectiveness of their team's responses as well as their own ability to forecast resulting actions in the planning process."

But, Tech. Sgt. Marc Kreienbrink, a contingency contracting EET member of nearly four years, said it can be challenging.

"Being a contracting EET member is not easy," Sergeant Kreienbrink said. "If I do a poor job or lose my focus, it negatively affects their execution of the exercise mission. If I remain focused and put together the right scenarios, I am doing all I can do to provide my fellow Airmen with a good foundation to work from."

In addition to reacting to various exercises, Sergeant Kreienbrink said Airmen and EETs should be well versed in post-attack reconnaissance, command and control, passive defense response, and self-aid buddy care.

"Every EET member should be ready and prepared to evaluate their Airmen in several other disciplines aside from their day-to-day career fields," the sergeant said. "That's all part of being an expeditionary Airman; you never know when you will be called upon to use those skills while you are at war."

To become an EET member, Airmen and civilians must pass a computer-based training program, followed by a class at the IEPO. Depending on subject matter specialties, some EET members have additional training, including federal emergency management agency instruction.

For more information, call the IEPO at 739-5015. This story is part of an ongoing series on preparing Tinker for AFMC new no-notice inspection policy