The White Falcon - 23.04.1993, Blaðsíða 1

HITE
FALCON
Iceland phrase of the week:
I don’t speak Icelandic, only English.
Eg tala ekkl Islensku bura Ensku.
(Ee-eg ta-la ek-ld Is-len-sku ba-ra En-sku.)
Vol. 52 No. 16 April 23,1993
Serving the Iceland Defense Force Community
Two Navy members make adjustments to their protective chemical gear during last week’s Viking Thunder exercise.
Viking Thunder tests base’s readiness
Photo and story by
J02 Carlos Bongioanni
Naval Air Station (NAS), Keflavik, went
into alert status as base personnel examined
their emergency response capabilities for
three days last week. The quarterly exercise,
known as Viking Thunder, simulated a war-
time environment in which an imaginary,
opposing force attacked Iceland.
According to RADM Michael D. Haskins,
Commander, Iceland Defense Force, the pur-
pose of the exercise was to find out what
areas of readiness base forces needed to
improve.
^ “We performed every emergency drill pos-
«le,” said Haskins. “Most importantly, the
Wrmy, Air Force, Navy, Marines and civilian
work force learned to work together. As the
exercise progressed, communication and co-
ordination among the services improved
greatly.
“Whatever inconvenience was felt by the
base community was well worth it. Today we
are much better prepared for an emergency
than we were before the exercise... In a real
war-time situation, we’re guaranteed to win.”
Until recently, Viking Thunder has been
primarily an Air Force exercise. However,
Washington, D.C. (NNS) — Secretary of
Defense Les Aspin has ordered changes in
the way the armed services do business as the
first step in rationalizing their roles and mis-
sions for the new, post cold-war world. One
of the key changes Aspin ordered involves
how forces based in the United States are to
be commanded.
Aspin acted on the recommendations made
by Gen. Colin Powell, Chairman the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, in a report to Congress on
roles, missions and functions of the services.
The chairman’s report is mandated by law.
the past two exercises have seen a dramatic
increase of participation from the other serv-
ices at NAS, Keflavik. CAPT Charles T.
Butler, Commanding Officer NAS, Keflavik,
said he was particularly pleased with the
(Viking Thunder continued on pg. 4)
The Congress required that the secretary trans-
mit the report with his comments.
Aspin stated, “We know today that forces
based in the United States will play a key part
in projecting power overseas in the future.
That’s why I agree wtih Gen. Powell that we
should put those forces under one Com-
mander-in Chief. I am directing the chair-
man to expand the responsibilities of the
Commander-In-Chief Atlantic to include air
and ground combat forces based in the conti-
nental United States as well as the Navy At-
lantic Fleet and Marine Forces Atlantic.”
SECDEF makes roles, mission changes