Photo By Senior Airman Kylar Vermeulen | Aircrew with the 328th Air Refueling Squadron participating in an Emergency War...... read more read more
NIAGARA FALLS AIR RESERVE STATION, N.Y. – The 914th Air Refueling Wing has successfully conducted its second Emergency War Order, Agile Combat Employment (EWO/ACE) training exercise August 9th – 12th, 2024, at Castle Airport, Atwater, California. Castle Airport, formerly known as Castle Air Force Base, is a former Strategic Air Command (SAC) location utilized by the U.S. Air Force at the height of the Cold War. The EWO/ACE concept has given the former base a renewed purpose-- be ready for the employment of mission critical tanker and bomber fleet assets at a moment’s notice; similar, yet different than its mission in the past.
With warfare continuing to evolve, and the battlespace becoming more complex than ever seen before, the EWO/ACE concept changes how units will assess and face the pacing challenges of modern, contested environments with limited resources and support.
“We conducted an EWO/ACE exercise as a show of force for our peer adversaries,” said Col. Joseph Contino, 914th ARW commander. “Doing exercises like these demonstrate our willingness to be nimble and agile, to go anywhere, at any time.”
The operational concept of EWO/ACE shifts the generation of combat airpower from large bases to smaller, dispersed locations like Castle, reducing response times while maximizing the effectiveness of different missions and mission types.
Though nuclear capable bomber aircraft such as the B-52 Stratofortress, and quick, reliable tankers like the KC-135 Stratotanker don’t occupy the alert ramps and flight line at Castle like they did many years ago, Castle, alongside many other former SAC locations, still stands ready for moment’s notice occupation by the “iron” needed to deter, defend, and destroy any threat posed to the United States by another nation.
“Prior SAC locations are great for this concept because their runways and ramps are very hospitable to B-52’s and tankers,” Contino stated. “The way this can develop down the road could include multiple aircraft, two or three tankers to three or four B-52’s at a location. Being able to be nimble and agile with these two weapon systems really changes the calculous for our peer adversaries.”
Castle Air Force Base may have closed nearly 30 years ago, but sending a message that we are training on-site and enhancing our strategies during a modern great power competition is essential to the 914th’s mission, and the integrity of potential future operations, according to Contino.
Alongside the exercise, Niagara was joined by members of the 445th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Members of the 445th conducted routine training including burn management, hemodynamic management and cardiovascular management, while also simulating hands-on care of patients with various wounds, including several simulated in-flight emergencies and a simulated resuscitation attempt.
The exercise highlighted Niagara’s ability to swiftly move high-value assets to a strategic location, while also displaying their ability to integrate with another unit in a dynamic training environment, sharpening their ability to be flexible with contingent operations. Future plans include more training with the EWO/ACE concept.
| Date Taken: | 08.22.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.23.2024 14:24 |
| Story ID: | 479270 |
| Location: | ATWATER, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 47 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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