Ready before the call comes

Earlier this year, WGCDR Nathan Thompson was deployed with 24 hours’ notice alongside more than 100 aviators to the Middle East.

As an Air Mobility Group (AMG) aviator, he knows first-hand what it means to be called upon at short notice. The time between receiving a task and departure can be measured in hours.

When that happens, the priority should be preparing for the mission ahead and spending time with family – not completing outstanding readiness requirements.

Building that readiness was one of the priorities behind Exercise Mobility Bluegum.

The activity gave personnel across AMG the opportunity to complete individual and collective training before they are called upon, including tactical care of the casualty, body armour and conduct-after-capture training.

“The environments our AMG aviators are going to deploy into are increasingly complex and uncertain,” WGCDR Thompson said.

“So we need to prepare them for that.”

For WGCDR Thompson, preparing for the unexpected means more than being qualified to perform a job. It means building the confidence, resilience and skills required to operate effectively when plans change and time is limited. 

His own experience of deploying at short notice reinforced the importance of having that preparation in place before a tasking arrives.

“In that last 24 hours before we expect our aviators to depart, we want them focusing on their mission and then going home and spending time with their families,” he said.

That preparation also extends beyond administration and training.

“Ready is multifaceted,” he said.

“It means resilience, having your family prepared, and being mentally ready to operate in an uncertain threat environment.”

Exercise Mobility Bluegum helped build that readiness, allowing AMG aviators to focus on what matters most when it does – delivering the mission.

“Our government relies on us to be ready when we are required to respond, therefore we need to train as we expect to fight,” he said.

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