Evaluators bring different perspective to exercise

  • Published
  • By Airman First Class Trevor Rhynes
  • 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  With the operational readiness exercise wrapped up, Airmen with the Exercise Evaluation Teams made sure their units get the most out of their training.

EETs are established prior to exercises to ensure Airmen within their groups are performing up to standards. They evaluate positives and negatives throughout exercises that can be used to improve the group as a whole.

"EETs are critical components of the exercise process, they've been selected by their respective groups to be the subject matter expert for that group," said Master Sgt. Nathan Davis, readiness and inspections planning. "At a minimum, they're able to contact those within the group to establish criteria to the exercise that will be most beneficial to the group that they come from."

Members of the evaluation team are involved in planning exercises from start to finish.

"During the concept portion, they are there to establish what the needs of the group are," said Davis. "Through the planning, they are there to work out all logistical necessities for their respective group."

During the execution phase all the prep work is incorporated into the large wing exercise that it becomes," he said. "Everyone works in concert with each other to evaluate the exercise as it pertains to their individual group."

The vice commander inspection office takes lead on the exercise and coordinates between all of the various EETs of all six groups including the wing staff agency.

"We expect to see basic readiness functions exercised, things like air or ground attacks that you would typically see in an exercise environment," he said. "We hope units get the most out of training that they can, to learn from this experience and build on it for the next exercise or deployments."