YARS Airmen participate in CBRNE exercise, test knowledge Published Nov. 4, 2014 By Tech. Sgt. Valerie Smock 910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs YOUNGSTOWN AIR RESERVE STATION, Ohio -- Citizen Airmen assigned to the 910th Airlift Wing participated in a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and high yield Explosives (CBRNE) exercise during the Unit Training Assembly, here, Nov. 2, 2014. "The idea of the exercise is to test general (CBRNE) knowledge, see if you know what you're doing and answer basic questions," said Master Sgt. Charles Sexton, 910th Civil Engineer Squadron Noncommissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) of training and logistics for the Emergency Management Flight. "We want to make sure they have all their ducks in a row." The training is generally only held six months before a deployment but the Inspector General's office decided to hold the exercise outside of general regulations in an effort to give Servicemembers an opportunity to have more training with their equipment. "It's all about combat readiness," said Maj. Paul Hoerig, 910th Airlift Wing combat readiness officer. During the exercise, which focused on teamwork, Airmen put on their protective gear, also known as Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) and answered questions about CBRNE. "It was very informative," said Staff Sgt. Michael Potts, 910th Communications Squadron Knowledge Operations Specialist. "It's good to put stuff back on and get familiarized with it again." A successful mission meant the Airmen were prepared. The exercise allowed them not only to be hands on with their equipment but to check for any missing pieces and ensure everything fit properly. "There is an idea that a lot of countries are using chemical weaponry," said Senior Master Sgt. Vern Lewis, NCOIC of the 910th Airlift Wing's Inspector General's Office. "You never know when you can get sent overseas, so every Airman needs to be prepped on this stuff. It can save a life."