Noncombatant evacuation exercise
set for early June in Italy, Slovenia
By Gary J. Kunich,
Aviano bureau
Gary J. Kunich / Stars and Stripes
Maj. Erik Kurilla goes over a map that details the massive undertaking soldiers will be
expected to take for Exercise Veneto Rescue in June. The scenario calls for troops
to jump into a hostile, uncertain environment and rescue about 100 civilians. The exercise
involves Army, Air Force and Marine troops and is spread out between Italy and
Slovenia. |
VICENZA, Italy — Erik Kurilla whipped out a piece of paper with drawings of
arrows, airplanes and lines going this way and that. It was hard to tell what was what on
the map, but whatever it was, it had a lot of detail.
"This will help explain it a little bit," the Army major said with a wide
grin.
It didn’t, really, but it demonstrated how excited the Southern European Task
Force (Airborne) operations officer is about a massive noncombatant evacuation exercise
that takes place June 4-6 in Italy and Slovenia.
This isn’t your typical paperwork shuffle-type exercise to check a square on some
worksheet. This is a large, yearly undertaking that involves about 100 role players, and
1,200 participants.
Besides the airborne soldiers from Vicenza, Italy, there will be a Marine
anti-terrorist group from Naples, Air Force aircraft from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, more
airborne troops who — surprisingly — wear Air Force blue instead of Army green,
and a whole lot more.
"This is the largest boots-on-the-ground NEO exercise that SETAF does,"
Kurilla said.
Although it’s not the real thing, it’s as close as what might be expected if
the need arises. And, if you’re wondering, it has in the past. Some elements from
SETAF deployed to Monrovia, Liberia, in April 1996 to fly out U.S. citizens.
For the practice this time around, Aviano Air Base, about 55 miles northeast of
Vicenza, will serve as an evacuation coordinating center.
Soldiers and airmen will jump into the Juliet Drop Zone in nearby Maniago, which will
become a forward operating base. They’ll secure the perimeter there so C-130s can
land on a dirt strip. From there, troops will have to fan out — first to Osoppo,
Italy, where the de facto U.S. Embassy will be set up, and then to two points in Slovenia
to collect U.S. citizens.
Although Slovenia has opened its country for the exercise, the participants will all be
American and Italian, Kurilla said.
The goal is to get everybody out safely and quickly. But that’s where it gets a
little tricky.
"The Juliet Drop Zone is considered another country; an uncertain hostile
environment," Kurilla said. "You’re going to get the pregnant woman, the
rebels taking pot shots, whatever. When they go to Slovenia, they might have a list of 20
people they have to pick up, but there might only be 14. What do they do? How do they find
the others? What about the guy who shows up and refuses to get on the helicopter without
his dog? These things could happen."
If soldiers can take any hints away from this story, it would be they should expect the
unexpected.
Army Capt. Nathan Rainey, who is overseeing some of the scenarios, said it will put
soldiers to the test.
"We don’t want them to have a cattle mentality where they have to herd groups
of people from one place to another," Rainey said. "It’s a pretty short and
intense mission. They’ll be doing a lot of movement, covering a lot of ground.
They’re going to be very taxed. The role players won’t do what they necessarily
think they’re going to do. It’s going to be fun."
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