Annual ATSO exercise hits Duke

The 919th Maintenance Operation Control was simulated attacked and destroyed by a foreign national suicide bomber during the Ability To Survive and Operate (ATSO) exercise outside of the Maintenance Group building Oct. 5. The scenario depicted a suicide bomber who blew herself up outside of the building and injured nine other by standers. The suicide bomber lost her leg in the initial blast and had an additional device concealed to be detonated when military personnel began to administer Self Aid Buddy Care (SABC) as they arrived on scene to assist. This ATSO exercise gave the 919th Special Operations Wing personnel vital training on how to respond and fulfill mission requirements when a location comes under hostile fire. The training evaluated how well personnel used their chemical protection ensemble, how they recognized unexploded munitions, and cordoned off the area to prevent other personnel from detonating the devices. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Tech. Sgt. Monique Randall)