US, Other Nations Launch Mobility Guardian Exercise

 The US along with 30 other nations have kicked off Exercise Mobility Guardian, Air Mobility Command’s premier readiness exercise last week.

The exercise launched at Joint Base Lewis-McChord on July 30 and will continue through Aug. 11, US Department of Defense announced Tuesday.

Mobility Guardian is an international combat flying operations exercise designed to develop and improve tactics, techniques and procedures that enhance air mobility operations and improve interoperability.

“Mobility Guardian provides us an opportunity to “train like we fight” alongside our joint and international partners,” said Lt. Col. Daniel DeYoung, JBLM Mobility Guardian director.

“It is a completely new exercise meant to enhance mobility partnerships and test the full spectrum of capabilities Air Mobility Command provides the nation.” DeYong added.

Exercise MG replaced the annual Air Mobility Rodeo competition that last took place in 2011.

“Whereas Rodeo incentivized units to take their best performers from across the Air Force Specialty Code spectrum—operators, maintainers, medical and support Airmen—and give them extra “top-off” training to prepare for the competition, Mobility Guardian participants will by design be the “average” Airman, who will be tested to employ his or her skills to accomplish the mission laid out in the exercise scenario,” said DeYoung.

The exercise training scenario features joint forcible entry and airfield seizure, and a joint mission between Air Force airdrop crews and Army Airborne units which will take place at locations across Washington State. It will also incorporate contingency response and humanitarian relief operations to include aeromedical evacuation efforts.

More than 3,000 participants from U.S. Air Force, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard, joint and international partners will participate in the realistic mobility training in a dynamic environment focusing on all four AMC core competencies: airlift, air refueling, aeromedical evacuation and air mobility support.