Testing limits; 86th MUNS pushes itself during exercise

By Airman 1st Class Lane T. Plummer, 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs / Published October 28, 2016

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Airmen from the 86th Munitions Squadron properly secure boxes of ammunition as part of an exercise at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Oct. 25, 2016. The exercise pushed Airmen to perform jobs as effective and quick as possible, such as safely wrapping and loading boxes of ammunition into storage containers. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Lane T. Plummer)

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Braided rope holds down boxes of ammunition during an 86th Munitions Squadron exercise at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Oct. 25, 2016. The process of fully securing ammo can take up to two hours after receiving a request. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Lane T. Plummer)

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Airman 1st Class Della Parker, 86th Munitions Squadron munitions storage crew member, helps another 86th MUNS Airman secure boxes of ammunition during an exercise at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Oct. 25, 2016. Although the exercise demanded more from the Airmen, they tested their ability to cooperate together in a more stressful environment, building team chemistry for when real-world events occur. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Lane T. Plummer)

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Airman 1st Class David Osborne, 86th Logistic Readiness Squadron traffic management journeyman, constructs palettes together during an 86th Munitions Squadron exercise at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Oct. 25, 2016. Wooden frames are built after the pallets are cut the right length, and then are braced against the shipping containers for maximum protection against damage to the equipment it’s braced with. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Lane T. Plummer)

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Airmen from the 86th Munitions Squadron and 86th Logistic Readiness Squadron install palettes inside a shipping compartment during an exercise at Ramstein Air Base Germany, Oct. 25, 2016. After crates of ammunition or explosives are installed within containers, they are inspected before being shipped around the world. The exercise tested Airmen’s ability to more effectively ship and secure ammunition in case of a real-world scenario that would demand more from Ramstein’s 86th MUNS. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Lane T. Plummer)

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany -- The 86th Munitions Squadron participated in an exercise Oct. 23-26, 2016, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

The training exercise tested Airmen’s flexibility by tasking them to increase the pace of their mission throughout the exercise.

Maj. Neal Wilson, 86th MUNS commander, said the exercise provided a look at how they would perform during higher-pace situations.

“The primary goal of this exercise is to measure our throughput capacity,” Wilson said. “We are validating training that we’ve received over time by putting Airmen to the test.”

Airmen throughout the 86th Logistics Readiness Group participated in the exercise, allowing multiple units to train together and build interoperability.

Airmen were broken up into several teams and tasked with a deployment schedule of events, providing the team’s goals to execute and the time limits for them. Some of these missions included stockpiling ammo boxes and bracing them inside International Organization of Standardization shipping containers.

Airmen were maintaining maximum mission readiness, said Wilson.

“This exercise gets to let us knock out the kinks we run into in a training environment, as opposed to a real-world scenario,” Wilson explained.

One of the Airmen that worked alongside the 86th MUNS, Airman 1st Class David Osborne, 86th Logistics Readiness Squadron traffic management journeyman cooperated alongside 86th MUNS Airmen, and enjoyed the opportunity to strengthen partnership ability with other units to complete the same mission.

“It’s always a good thing when you’re able to add variety to your career field,” Osborne said. “Working with other units allows me to help accomplish a large mission while professionally developing myself.”

Whether it was team chemistry, mission readiness or cooperative ability that they trained on, the Team Ramstein Airmen proved that it’s ready for the next test that comes their way through this exercise. The mission may demand more at times, but the results never falter under a culture of innovation and excellence.