Articles

CAPEX is a success: tests capabilities, builds 1,500 bombs

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Veronica McMahon
  • 36th Wing Public Affairs
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam --  The Combat Ammunition Production Exercise concluded with an outbrief April 27 announcing the CAPEX's success, testing the 36th Munitions Squadron's and deployed-in forces' ability to build munitions and support combat sorties.

The non-rated exercise, conducted April 23 to 26, is done once a year and only in the Pacific Air Forces Command. Working 24-hour operations, the 250 personnel involved were able to train in various areas. Not only did they meet, but they exceed Andersen's expectations by building 1,500 munitions in a four-day period.

"CAPEX is a great exercise that tests the abilities and capabilities of a wing to produce a wartime-scenario munitions build," said Col. Herb Phillips, Logistic Readiness division chief at PACAF Headquarters and CAPEX team lead. "It gives that wing the opportunity to take that wartime requirement, translate it into an air tasking order or a flying schedule, and then for the ammo and munitions personnel to build to that schedule, deliver and get the munitions to the aircraft."

The evaluators assessed the Airmen in multiple categories to include Conventional Air-Launched Cruise Missiles, break out, munitions control, big bombs, accountability, line delivery and weapons in check. The evaluators were impressed with what they saw.

"The exercise has been quite impressive, the wing certainly knows how to build bombs," Colonel Phillips said. "Watching the Airmen at all of the different sights as they breakout the bombs and as they build them up and transport them off, has been quite incredible."

While members from the 36 MUNS made up most of the Airmen, there were many deployed in troops from across the Air Force.

A loading exercise was also held in conjunction with the CAPEX to test the skills of the new 36th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron deployed in from Minot AFB, N.D.
"This LOADEX is unique because it is done in conjunction with CAPEX and we have enough training shapes to do a full load," said Maj. William Babbit, 36 EAMXS commander. "A full load on the B-52 is eight CALCMs and 12 Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missiles."

These exercises conducted simultaneously allowed for a timeline for both the bomb builders and the loaders. The CALCMs and JASSMs were two of the main bombs built during this training exercise.

"The more experience we have loading these missiles the quicker we are at providing assets, and doing this along with the CAPEX gives everyone more of a timeline," said Master Sgt. Christopher McKeen, 36th EAMXS weapons section chief deployed in from Minot AFB, N.D. "This is good training to keep everyone sharp and proficient."

Testing out all of the capabilities is not only good for training Airmen, but benefits Team Andersen and the Air Force.

"Exercises like CAPEX are extremely important to the Air Force for a couple of reasons," said Colonel Phillips. "Number one, it gives us a chance to hone our wartime skills that you may not get to exercise on a daily basis. Number two, it gives us a chance to ensure that our adversaries, whoever they may be, know that we are fully capable and able to execute our wartime tasking at anytime."

Munitions Airmen not only made a lasting impression on the evaluators, but also wing leadership expressed their gratitude for all the hard work involved in the CAPEX.

"This week you had a chance to generate 1,500 weapons, and 96.2 percent of them on time," said Col. Donald Drechsler, 36th Wing vice commander. "That is amazing and you all should be proud of yourselves. Today you should be proud of what you've accomplished and you all have proven what we do here on this base."

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