It really was a dangerous mission. But from a command standpoint, capturing the realism in an exercise is more difficult. An American officer was doing a crossword puzzle. There was no sense of urgency. Perhaps the most realistic aspect of the military operations center was the map, an airport rental-car company map projected on a wall at the front of the room.
Maps always seem to be in short supply during emergency operations.
Language also was a problem. While all staff officers and pilots participating in the exercise were required to speak English, proficiency levels varied widely. Serguei Kozlov, a retired Russian lieutenant colonel now with a civilian search and rescue agency, says he will recommend more stringent language qualifications for exercise participants in the future. Kozlov, whose command of English is better than many Americans', says communication was a problem for many participants. These exercises are very important.