Courtesy Photo | Master Sgt. Joshua Eby, aircraft armament technician, and Master Sgt. Jeremy Mosley,...... read more read more
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While the world was sleeping and the sun was just rising above the horizon on a Spring Sunday over Wyoming, 11 members of the 127th Maintenance Group’s, “ACE” team watched Air Force Special Operations Command Airmen parachute out of the MC-130J Commando II aircraft they were flying in.
The Selfridge Air National Guard-based team of Citizen-Airmen were invited by AFSOC to participate in exercise Agile Chariot, a training event that was historical, in part, due to the number and type of aircraft involved. The ACE team supported landings and takeoffs of the MC-130J, MQ-9 Reaper and two of their own A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft on Wyoming Highway 287.
ACE, an abbreviation for, “agile combat employment,” is an operational concept adopted into Air Force doctrine in 2022, in response to the global reduction of Air Force presence dating back to World War II. From then until 2018, the Air Force overseas footprint reduced by 65%. In addition to reduction in physical presence, the threat of a variety of new adversarial technological advances puts remaining air bases at significantly increased risk of attack, according to, “Air Force Doctine Note 1-21.”
“To generate combat power from a number of locations to create dilemmas for an adversary… I just need a runway, a ramp, a weapons trailer, a fuel bladder and a pallet of [meals read to eat.],” said Gen. C.Q. Brown, Jr., Chief of Staff of the Air Force in September 2019. “That’s maybe a little bit bold, but the point is, we’ve got to be light, lean and agile.
The ACE Team from Selfridge has taken Brown’s call to heart.
Already deployed as part of a 100+ member temporary duty mission to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, in support of an A-10 weapons instructor course, the 11 ACE team members loaded up their weapons trailer, and the accoutrement necessary to receive, launch and turn attack jets on a highway into a C-130 Hercules aircraft.
This wasn’t the first ACE opportunity for the team, who made history in June 2022 when they successfully received, refueled, armed and launched multiple aircraft on a Michigan highway during exercise Northern Agility 22-1, including AFSOC aircraft and operators from Hurlburt Field, Florida.
“After working with AFSOC during Northern Agility [22-1], we were able to demonstrate our high-level of professionalism,” said Capt. Charles DiCiuccio, ACE team officer-in-charge, 127th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. “[AFSOC] invited us to support Agile Chariot and we jumped at the chance, not only to exercise our mission, but to work with such a great team.”
The ACE Team checked off a new item on their “bucket list,” during Agile Chariot when they loaded and unloaded their equipment and arrived on the remote landing site by way of MC-130 aircraft. The concept of packing up the equipment you need and delivering aircraft maintainers to austere locations around the world, is a key component to solving the reduced Air Force footprint. In doing so, maintenance Airmen are cross-trained in multiple disciplines, for instance weapons troops with crew chief and refueling skills. The result of this cross-training is referred to by the Air Force as, “multicapable Airmen.” The ACE Team members are definitely multicapable.
“The ability to grow and strive towards becoming an MCA has opened up more learning opportunities,” said Master Sgt. Joshua Eby, an aircraft armament systems technician assigned to the 127th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and ACE Team member. “As part of the ACE team I’ve done things I never thought possible in my career.”
| Date Taken: | 05.15.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 05.15.2023 19:22 |
| Story ID: | 444800 |
| Location: | SELFRIDGE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, MICHIGAN, US |
| Web Views: | 435 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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