Operation GREY FLAG Debrief Session

1
Operation GREY FLAG Debrief Session

• Pacific Region Exercise 4
• 25 March 3 April 2007

2
Agenda

• Welcome, Acknowledgements Setup
• EXCON Team Intro
• Review Exercise Timeline
• Review Results Produced
• Participating Wing Debriefs
• Other Feedback
• QA
• Closing Comments

3
Welcome

• Thanks for taking the time to participate
• Just completed Pacific Region Exercise 4
• 25 Mar 03 Apr 07 (inclusive)
• Tonight is our opportunity to do a comprehensive
  review of the scenario and our (individual and
  collective) performance

4
Whos on the phone?

• Invited Guests
• Pacific Region Staff
• USAF Liaison (PLR) Staff
• Participating Wing Staff
• Other Agency Reps

5
Participating Wings
6
Acknowledgements

• Col. Ernie Pearson (PCR CC)
• Been an enthusiastic supporter of the activity
• Col. Larry Myrick (PCR CV)
• Without his vision and leadership, this idea
  would have never gotten off the ground
• Col. Jim Denton
• Special advisor to the EXCON team
• Lt. Col. Mike Lewis
• Key driver to making the magic happen since its
  inception

7
EXCON Team Intro

• Maj. Kenneth (kengon) Gonzalez
• EXCON Team Lead

8
PCR EXCON Team

• CAP
• Lt. Col. Mike Lewis
• Maj. Ken Gonzalez
• Maj. Wayne Stuart
• Lt. Richard Bingham
• Lt. Steve Karl
• Lt. Tiffany Kolosick
• Lt. Tolga Tarhan
• Lt. Rick Woods

• USAF
• Col. Jim Denton
• Maj. Rod Gisi
• Maj. Lincoln Keill

NOTE While these are the key players that
influenced the outcome, many others helped and
volunteered their services. They know who they
are and should consider themselves acknowledged
for their respective contributions.
9
Objectives

• Exercise the full range of CAP capabilities
• Develop and evaluate Wing-to-Wing command,
  control, and communications (C3) capabilities
• Begin the process of establishing evaluation
  criteria for Region and Wing performance
• Both qualitative and quantitative measures

10
Design Guidelines

• Provide realistic HLS and disaster relief
  scenarios as a driving force for a variety of CAP
  tasks.
• Ensure that the tasks fall within the guidelines
  and constraints for CAP operations (like posse
  comitatus)
• Ensure that tasks can be completed safely

11
What We Did

• Constructed the Back Story
• Wrote the Master Timeline (MSEL)
• Created the Tasks Informational Messages
• Checked all the work for consistency
• Created the technology support
• Staffed the phones (EXCON, FAA, NOC, etc.)
• Implemented the Plan
• and had a great time doing it!

12
Special Recognition

• Lt. Tolga Tarhan
• Provided logistics and technology support that
  made the exercise as easy as it was to execute
• His company (PBNext) has been donating their
  services/support to my CAWG HLS team for the past
  year
• Please join me in appreciating them for their
  ongoing support

13
Review Exercise Timeline

• Lt. Col. Mike Lewis
• Exercise Director

14
Scenario Overview

• While docked in Azkhrackistan, a container ship
  is loaded with a number of containers filled with
  explosives and other items to support terrorist
  activities.
• The container ship will dock at ports in Hawaii,
  Alaska, Washington, and California.
• Azkhracki trained terrorist cells will rendezvous
  with the containers, and using rented trucks,
  transport the explosives to events throughout the
  Western U.S.

15
Scenario TimelinePre-exercise

• The container ship Moribund departs Azkhrackistan
• Moribund offloads in HI, AK
• The CIA gathers intelligence that large
  quantities of materials used for making bombs has
  been going to Azkhrackistan.
• Moribund offloads in WA, and
• Northern CA

16
Scenario TimelineDay 1, Sunday

• The CIA learns about a drunk Azkhracki who was
  boasting about how he helped load a ship with
  bombs to hit the infidels and bring them to their
  knees.
• NOTE Starting on day 1 and continuing throughout
  the exercise period, background news articles
  will be provided to participating wings for
  dissemination to the membership.

17
Scenario TimelineDay 2, Monday

• Moribund offloads in C. CA

18
Scenario TimelineDay 3, Tuesday

• FBI begins to notice a higher level of activity
  among groups of interest.

19
Scenario TimelineDay 4, Wednesday

• DHS, based on the CIA Intel from Azkhrackistan
  coupled with reports that the FBI has of an
  increase in activity among some of the groups of
  interest, raises the alert level to Orange
  while continuing to determine which (if any ship)
  is carrying explosives.

20
Scenario TimelineDay 4, Wednesday cont.

• ALNOT issued for a missing (possibly stolen) A/C
  from N. CA. AFRCC requests ramp search of likely
  airports based on NTAP data.

21
Scenario TimelineDay 5, Thursday

• CAP conducts ramp searches in WA, OR, CA, and NV
• Intelligence suggests the containers being used
  are blue Hanjin containers.

• FBI and local authorities investigate ports.
  Finds a number of inconsistencies with paperwork
  concerning Hanjin containers.

22
Scenario TimelineDay 6, Friday

• FBI and other agencies search area in vicinity of
  ports but are unable to locate any of the
  suspicious containers.
• FBI requests aerial route searches of routes
  leaving port cities looking for Hanjin containers
  to begin the following day.
• Immediate radio reports are requested for each
  container spotted.
• The request for CAP assistance was accepted by
  the CAP National Operations Center

23
Scenario TimelineDay 7, Saturday

• CAP starts the search for Hanjin containers.
• The National Rodeo, a special event, is being
  held in Santa Maria, CA. Gov. Harry Tasker and
  other dignitaries are in attendance.
• Major explosion during rodeo. Initial reports
  indicate a gas main leak/explosion.
• Hundreds killed, over 1000 injured. Local
  authorities request state assistance.
• OES requests CAP to transport blood from VNY to
  SMX.

24
Scenario TimelineDay 7 continued

• Due to the amount of rubble, OES requests search
  dogs be brought in to assist in looking for
  survivors.
• CAP transports dogs from CA, NV, and AZ.
• OES requests Federal assistance.

25
Scenario TimelineDay 7 continued

• FBI discovers remnants of a U-Haul truck
  identified as the bomb vehicle. Remnants of
  packing materials and documents consistent with
  Hanjin Shipping Company was discovered.

26
Scenario TimelineDay 8, Sunday

• President declares Santa Maria a Federal Disaster
  Area.
• DHS raises threat level to Red.

• Public is informed CA explosion was a terrorist
  event.
• FBI requests CAP modify search to look at rest
  stops for UHaul/Hanjin.
• CAP also asked to take aerial photos of rest
  stops to identify possible meeting locations.

27
Scenario TimelineDay 8 continued

• After terrorism announcement, people in and
  around Santa Maria try to flee the area causing
  massive traffic jams. Californias OES requests
  SDIS equipped A/C to augment CHP in monitoring
  ingress/egress routes to the affected area.

28
Scenario TimelineDay 9, Monday

• FBI discovers one cell in WA. While they do not
  know about other cells, they discover evidence
  that the transfer of material to the U-Haul's may
  be taking place under cover of trees.
• FBI tasks ARCHER system to cover likely areas to
  try to pick out target through trees.

29
Scenario TimelineDay 10, Tuesday

• Photos delivered to FBI.
• Exercise Ends.

30
Review Results Produced

• Lt. Tolga Tarhan Lt. Rick Woods
• Exercise Controllers

31
What Worked

• Aircrews and Ground Teams can readily deploy and
  get the task done without much supervision
• Hasnt been an issue, historically speaking
• ORWG/CAWG both had to pull resources to
  enable real world response
• Most participants demonstrated a good
  sense of humor, even under pressure

Kudo!
Kudo!
32
What Worked

• Great deal of initiative demonstrated
• WAWG established a mailing list for
  exercise traffic
• AKWG started taking photos on the
  routes without having to be asked
• Several examples of Wings working to
  churn out results until they were done
• AKWG, ORWG

Kudo!
Kudo!
Kudo!
33
What Didnt Work

• Lack of Customer Service Orientation
• One dog team handler spent over 16-hours awaiting
  a response (on standby)
• No one offered a Liaison Officer
• No follow up questions to ensure tasks were
  understood
• Little communications with the Customer to
  ensure their needs were being met
• Need to treat EXCON like a real customer!
• Multiple instances of failed transitions between
  key incident staff members

34
What Didnt Work

• Fight like you train, train like you fight
• Have to take the exercise seriously
• Asking the question if this were a real mission,
  what would I do? and then taking an appropriate
  action
• Issues with tasking resources for Night and IFR
  conditions
• Need to check e-mail frequently during these
  types of operations
• Caused some lags in response

35
What Didnt Work

• EXPLAN Review
• If we start out with a bad phone/e-mail list, it
  just gets worse
• EXPLAN forms the agreement between EXCON and the
  participants
• Not written in stone! Most issues can be
  prevented or negotiated out
• Only EXCON has authority to alter the timeline or
  participation
• Self-induced changes are unacceptable
• Relates back to the train like you fight
  comment
• Ask the question Do I have enough resources to
  do it properly?

36
MIO Operations

• Not a discrete task per se
• Was completely intentional to see what would get
  done
• No unauthorized releases of PCR Exercise
  Confidential Material
• Great job of coordination by the MIOs
  into their own informal pool/JIC
• Tom Travers efforts in getting us real
  media coverage
• Yielded national-level results/awareness

Kudo!
Kudo!
37
State Agency Contact

• Same Night
• WAWG, ORWG
• Next Day
• HIWG
• Three Days Later
• NVWG
• Unaccounted For
• AKWG, CAWG

38
Alert Level Upgrades

• Yellow to Orange

Kudo!
39
Alert Level Upgrades

• Orange to Red

40
Resource Reports

• Asked for list of resources and their status from
  each participating Wing

41
Missing A/C ALNOT

• Generally, the operation was handled well by the
  Wings. Not all sites were completed
• Some Wings showed great initiative
• Using FBOs other parties for ramp checks
• Doing good intel work to help gain clues
• Several Wings
• Provided no progress updates during the search
• Provided no reports on results of the search
• Only reported person-hours invested
• WAWG provided a 122 w/in an hour of
  closing

Kudo!
Kudo!
42
Route Search

• No consistency in reporting what was getting done
  while it was getting done
• Allowing for customer input and altering plans
• Actual Sightings

43
Blood/Dog Transport

• 1 of 3 completed within timing requested Poor
  communication/expectation setting with the
  receiving party
• Aircrews
• Did not bust the TFR in SMX
• Did appropriate WB calculations

Kudo!
44
Photo Recon

• In general, photo quality was good
• Anything delivered that night was counted as
  being delivered on time

45
Example of the Day
46
(No Transcript)
47
Participating Wing Debriefs

• Various Wing Representatives

48
Alaska Wing

• What went well?
• What didn't go so well?
• What was missing or missed?
• What would you do differently?
• How could the exercise be better?

49
Hawaii Wing

• What went well?
• What didn't go so well?
• What was missing or missed?
• What would you do differently?
• How could the exercise be better?

50
Washington Wing

• What went well?
• What didn't go so well?
• What was missing or missed?
• What would you do differently?
• How could the exercise be better?

51
Oregon Wing

• What went well?
• What didn't go so well?
• What was missing or missed?
• What would you do differently?
• How could the exercise be better?

52
Nevada Wing

• What went well?
• What didn't go so well?
• What was missing or missed?
• What would you do differently?
• How could the exercise be better?

53
California Wing

• What went well?
• What didn't go so well?
• What was missing or missed?
• What would you do differently?
• How could the exercise be better?

54
Other Feedback

• Maj. Gonzalez

55
CA OES Feedback

• OES was engaged for CAWG late in the game
• Suggested that we use "GPS Photo Link" software
  or similar capability
• Alternate delivery format suggested
• Photo only (unaltered images)
• Tasking instructions field comments
• Associated GIS data (GPS track)
• Task Observation Calling out general
  intersections makes an assumption that the crew
  has a mapping capability to find it. Reconcile
  task detail with the information systems
  capability that exists for the crews

56
CA OES Feedback

• Including the task documents with the images is
  excellent
• Suggested using a handheld GPS and Camera
  together and deliver the entire package for
  processing
• Would give them all of the info that they would
  want
• There are limitations to be considered
• Equipment availability
• Cost

57
QA / Open Mic

• All Participants

58
Potential Topics

• Issues
• Concerns
• Feedback
• Observations
• Etc.

• Additional Input
• Suggestions
• Questions
• Constructive Criticism

Anything / Everything is Fair Game!
59
Closing Comments

• Lt. Col. Lewis Maj. Gonzalez

60
Final Thoughts

• This is a marathon run, not a sprint.
• Ultimately, we will succeed or fail as a team.
• None of us has the all the time, expertise or
  connections to be successful alone. By working as
  a team, well be working smarter, not harder.
• Our customers need to be our measurement for
  whether were successful or not.
• How we measure our success should recognize both
  individual and organizational accomplishment.

61
Send Us Your AARs!

• Send Via E-mail To
• pcrex4_at_pcr-occ.org

62
PCR Command
The bosses get the final word...
63
Thank You!
64
Send Us Your AARs!

• Send Via E-mail To
• pcrex4_at_pcr-occ.org