Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

By Tech. Sgt. Jason Tudor

OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM (USAFENS) -- Force protection, safety and operational security still dominate the sight picture of the group commander here as he continues to send B-52 bombers over Iraq and generate sorties.

Col. Dan Charchian emphasized this point recently to troops here deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. More than 1,000 troops and a dozen bombers are stationed at this forward-deployed location generating firepower for the war.

As the sorties pile-up, these three concerns at the top of his list. Charchian said it's important for his entire leadership circle to push them out to troops each day.

His goal? Meet the taskings handed down by war planners at higher headquarters.

"A lot of times we get asked 'What can you do?'" he said, referring to the capabilities of the B-52 Stratofortress. "Our goal is to meet the taskings safely and on time."

This quest hasn't come without a price. Before the group beefed up its security with more than 500 Air Force security forces personnel, augmentees and local police forces, the base suffered numerous break-ins by protestors. However, with the new troops in place, incidents are down significantly. The dictum: no one touches the airplanes unless they're authorized.

"Every augmentee here is genuinely excited to do his job," Charchian said, who has canvassed the flight line for feedback. "They feel like they're part of a team."

Meanwhile, he bolstered his safety edge. Wartime can bring its share of "blue on blue" causalities. Charchian and his team are working to minimize those incidents. Everyone wears a reflective belt after dark, and everyone has a "safety stake" building bombs, fixing jets and turning sorties.

"If we didn't do those things and something happened, I don't know how I could ever face a mother and father to explain it," Charchian said. "We must put safety in the forefront."

Operational security rounds out Charchian's chief concerns. While he believes his team is doing a great job, he wants to ensure everyone understands the consequences of discussing sensitive or secret information in the wrong environment.

"This is a very dynamic environment," the colonel said. "We have to be able to know when and where to discuss or transmit that kind of information. Simply put, if we don't do operational security the right way, people will die. We cannot let that happen."

Charchian is proud of his team's record so far -- only one sortie lost due to heavy fog. He's also watched the 457th Air Expeditionary Group form with few safety incidents. All in all, he said it's a great record so far.