News

Team Dover prepares for the worst

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Samuel Taylor
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Team Dover went through three days of active shooters, explosions, arsenic and more during the Major Accident Response Exercise, which ran March 23 - 25, at Dover Air Force Base, Del.

The goal of the MARE was to prepare internal and external agencies for the worst, presenting various disaster scenarios which could possibly effect a military installation in the real world.

"This MARE was different from most exercises the base has gone through," said Maj. Nate Vogel, 436th Airlift Wing chief of wing plans and programs, whose office organizes and oversees base exercises. "[Dover AFB] had many different challenges thrown at them all at once."

The scenarios, which ranged from suspicious package response to bio-hazard cleanup, challenged base agencies to respond to crises while maintaining the appropriate security conditions. The experience gained from exercises like the MARE help Team Dover respond to incidents like the real-world suspicious vehicle incident, which took place a week before.

This MARE was unique in that it encompassed many scenarios into the same package, instead of stretching the scenarios out over many separate exercises.

"This MARE helped Dover AFB knock out a lot of requirements so it can focus on the Operational Readiness Inspection in the future," said Major Vogel.

Looking forward, Team Dover can expect exercises geared towards prepping for the ORI, which is set to take place in December.

"We completed this exercise to make sure Dover AFB was healthy enough to handle disaster scenarios," said Major Vogel. "Now we need to focus on the challenges coming ahead."