Narrative:

This is the second day of a significant military mission affecting the airspace area-wide. It involved a scheduled release of the lake placid MOA; which is normally released only on a real time basis by the affected controllers to instruct participating aircraft to contact mission operations on a specific and also nonstandard frequency. Controllers were not formally briefed on the mission and instead were handed 2 pieces of paper while on operational position. The papers contained limited and incomplete information and generated a number of questions. When asked for the full mission package; the front line manager said that no package had been prepared. In fact; the package was on the flight manager's desk and contained different information than that which was provided to the controllers. Since the mission included an automatic release of a significant portion of 2 sectors' airspace and required the rerouting of most aircraft in those 2 sectors; this failure to provide adequate advance briefings to controllers is a serious safety concern.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ZMA CTLR VOICED CONCERN REGARDING RECENT MIL OPS ALLEGING MGMNT FAILURE TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE CTLR BRIEFINGS.

Narrative: THIS IS THE SECOND DAY OF A SIGNIFICANT MIL MISSION AFFECTING THE AIRSPACE AREA-WIDE. IT INVOLVED A SCHEDULED RELEASE OF THE LAKE PLACID MOA; WHICH IS NORMALLY RELEASED ONLY ON A REAL TIME BASIS BY THE AFFECTED CTLRS TO INSTRUCT PARTICIPATING ACFT TO CONTACT MISSION OPS ON A SPECIFIC AND ALSO NONSTANDARD FREQ. CTLRS WERE NOT FORMALLY BRIEFED ON THE MISSION AND INSTEAD WERE HANDED 2 PIECES OF PAPER WHILE ON OPERATIONAL POS. THE PAPERS CONTAINED LIMITED AND INCOMPLETE INFO AND GENERATED A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS. WHEN ASKED FOR THE FULL MISSION PACKAGE; THE FRONT LINE MGR SAID THAT NO PACKAGE HAD BEEN PREPARED. IN FACT; THE PACKAGE WAS ON THE FLT MGR'S DESK AND CONTAINED DIFFERENT INFO THAN THAT WHICH WAS PROVIDED TO THE CTLRS. SINCE THE MISSION INCLUDED AN AUTOMATIC RELEASE OF A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF 2 SECTORS' AIRSPACE AND REQUIRED THE REROUTING OF MOST ACFT IN THOSE 2 SECTORS; THIS FAILURE TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE ADVANCE BRIEFINGS TO CTLRS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 2009 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.