The Pennsylvania Air National Guard’s 171st Air Refueling Wing, dove headfirst into the Air Force’s push to create Mission-Ready Airmen (MRA). In today’s rapidly evolving global landscape, this initiative is essential to maintaining readiness and adapting to challenges. For the Guardsmen of the 171st, embracing this philosophy isn’t just a concept—it’s becoming a way of life.
Why the 171st is All-In on MRA
As conflicts and technologies evolve, the Air Force is adapting to keep pace. For the 171st ARW, located just outside Pittsburgh, this means ensuring every Airman can step up in a crisis. The MRA philosophy encourages members to develop skills outside their primary career fields, allowing the Wing to stay mission-ready despite manning shortages or unexpected demands.
“As Airmen, you must think differently about how we fly, fight and win. With accelerate, change, or lose, you need to think about the speed, the agility, the lethality we have that are force multipliers.
You must adapt. And we cannot do this by ourselves. In order to be successful, we have to work together,” said Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., (then) Chief of Staff of the Air Force.
With conflict in the world growing, it is important that 171st Airmen stay ready. “The Air National Guard is no longer a stay-at-home force. Yes, we are branded as the local militia, but we are very much involved in defending America’s freedom,” said Col. Raymond L.
Hyland Jr., 171st ARW wing commander. “What many of our communities don’t realize, when you call for help from the National Guard, that includes us. We are very involved in helping our neighbors here in Pennsylvania and supporting the Defense of America.”
MRA in Action at the 171st
The 171st ARW has been a leader in putting the MRA philosophy into practice, finding innovative ways to bridge gaps and empower its members. Some of the most notable examples include:
Command Post Support: Boom operators, who usually manage in-flight refueling, have started working in the Command Post during manning shortages. This ensures continuity of operations while giving boom operators a deeper understanding of how command and control systems function across the wing.
Kitchen Crew Reinforcements: Personalists, administrators, and recruiters have traded their office duties for kitchen shifts, assisting the services career field during high-demand Wing-wide exercises. Their efforts have helped ensure the Wing’s dietary needs are met, supporting mission readiness during critical training, exercises and unit inspections.
Exercise Iron Keystone Collaboration: Pilots rolled up their sleeves to assist maintenance crew chiefs in recovering aircraft during this large-scale exercise. Meanwhile, the Petroleum, Oils, and Lubricants
(POL) team demonstrated their versatility by performing hot pit refuels without crew chief support, showcasing a high level of adaptability and trust.
MRA in Warfare
In June 2024, the wing participated in Exercise Iron Keystone, an Air Mobility Command Readiness Evaluation (REV) designed to test its mobility and operational capabilities. During the exercise, the Inspector General and the Wing’s Inspection Team relocated nearly a third of the wing’s personnel to the Air National Guard’s readiness center in Savannah, Georgia. This effort involved coordination with the Connecticut Air National Guard, North Carolina ANG and the Royal Canadian Air Force.
While aircraft from the three participating units transported personnel and cargo from Pittsburgh to Savannah, other units, including the 193rd Special Operations Wing, the 111th Attack Wing, and soldiers from the Pennsylvania National Guard, mobilized to Fort Drum, New York, and Cecil Airfield, Florida. As one of the largest Air National Guard readiness exercises to date, Iron Keystone presented Airmen and Soldiers with challenges reflective of modern conflict.
Shortages in equipment and personnel emphasized the necessity of MRA to address the demands of contemporary warfare.
Challenges of Adopting MRA
While the benefits of MRA are clear, implementing the philosophy comes with hurdles. Expanding skill sets requires additional training, which can place added demands on Airmen already balancing multiple responsibilities. Some worry that adding secondary duties could lead to burnout or detract from primary roles.
Despite these challenges, the 171st ARW is forging ahead, confident that MRA will make the unit—and the Air Force as a whole—more resilient and effective. Col. Hyland reassured Airmen, families, and the local community that these changes are about creating a stronger force for the future.
“The success of our wing relies on our ability to innovate and support each other as a team,” Hyland said. “Mission-Ready Airmen represent the next step in building a better, smarter, and more adaptable Air Force. These changes may be difficult, but they are essential to ensuring we remain ready for any challenge.”
As the 171st ARW continues to lead the way, the wing is proving that its commitment to innovation and excellence extends beyond Pennsylvania—and into the future of national defense.
| Date Taken: | 01.08.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 01.08.2025 12:31 |
| Story ID: | 488846 |
| Location: | PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Web Views: | 44 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, The Year of the Mission Ready Airman, by MSgt Bryan Hoover, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
