RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany – U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the 86th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron, the 86th and 721st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 786th Civil Engineer Squadron emergency management flight, participated in exercise Radiant Falcon to acquire and hone proficiency in radiological contamination detection and decontamination safety techniques March 16, 2023, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
“We’re trying to simplify how to assess an aircraft for radiation and contamination,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Andrew Wagner, U.S. Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa surgeon general bioenvironmental engineer. “Exercises like this help to provide decision points for commanders on the ground to understand the risk related to the mission and the health of the Airmen making the mission happen.”
The squadrons worked together during leadership seminars, tabletop exercises and simulated events as part of the radiological detection and decontamination exercise.
“This exercise allowed us to test our capabilities and integration with units like emergency management, port and maintenance Airmen,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jordan Minto, 86th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron bioenvironmental journeyman. “We were able to see how well we’d respond to aircrafts coming from a radioactive plume and test and decontaminate the aircraft and Airmen.”
Exercise Radiant Falcon was the first for USAFE-AFAFRICA as the command works to develop and expand the scope of training, and plan to conduct additional events at other bases across the area of responsibility.
“We are setting a baseline for the Air Force in how to respond to these events and hoping to keep conducting these wing-level exercises,” said Wagner. “The concept of operations will never become capabilities until exercised, tested and refined to meet mission needs.”