Air Force Bolsters Airpower Readiness During Arctic Gold

Nov. 24, 2025 | By Air Force Senior Airman Colin Perkins, 354th Fighter Wing |

The 354th Fighter Wing conducted readiness exercise Arctic Gold 26-1 at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, Nov. 17-19.

 
The exercise is designed to test the wing's ability to quickly generate, deploy and sustain combat-ready airpower in a high-threat environment. 
 
"A lot of work and planning was put into getting this exercise to run efficiently and effectively, taking into account all of the separate factors that affect the way things play out and what we can accomplish towards the mission," said Air Force Master Sgt. Zachary Kugler, exercise program director. "We use key takeaways and lessons learned to shape the way we generate airpower in the future and how we can apply it to both exercises and real-world scenarios." 
 
During the exercise, the 354th Operations Group tested its mission capabilities and readiness by deploying F-35A Lightning IIs from both the 355th Fighter Squadron and the 356th Fighter Squadron, supported by F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 18th Fighter Interceptor Squadron.

"The 354th OG is charged with providing combatant commanders with combat-ready forces in order to meet mission objectives and priorities," said Air Force Lt. Col. Lloyd Wright, 354th OG deputy commander. "This [is] accomplished by organizing, training and equipping our component squadrons who project power in the Pacific area of responsibility and maintain the [Air Force's] northernmost strategic runway." 
 
Airmen carried the weight of the hands-on mission execution, building pallets, moving people and cargo, operating vehicles in extreme conditions and sustaining the pace required to generate combat power. 
 
"Operating in the Arctic forces you to think differently, and our airmen proved that they not only understand the constraints but thrive in them," said Air Force Lt. Col. Peter Daigle, 354th Logistics Readiness Squadron commander. "We rehearsed cold-weather processes, validated our deployment readiness, and stress tested the systems that enable fighter generation in one of the harshest climates on Earth."

 
Daigle also highlighted the airmen's ability to utilize technical skills and versatility, and to make sound decisions even outside their normal jobs, providing the tactical edge necessary in order to accomplish the mission. 
 
"Every exercise gives us data, but Arctic Gold gave us clarity; our priorities are centered on sharpening the logistics foundations of our wing that makes us a combat-credible force, ensuring our squadron commanders continue to develop leaders who can think critically, operate independently and take initiative," Daigle said. "The future fight will reward agility, creativity and technical mastery — and that starts with how we train." 

Army Aviation Soldiers Begin Training With Stalker UAS at Fort Rucker

Nov. 24, 2025 | By Leslie Herlick, Army Aviation Center of Excellence |

Army aviation soldiers began training with the VXE30 Stalker uncrewed aircraft system at Fort Rucker, Alabama, Nov. 18, in preparation for equipment fielding next month.  

This system incorporates observations from the modern battlefield, including reduced noise and visual signature, vertical takeoff capability and cost-saving munitions technology — underscoring the Army's push to integrate cutting-edge systems into training at Fort Rucker and Fort Huachuca, Arizona.

Army Maj. Wolf Amacker, UAS and Tactics Branch chief of the Army Aviation Center of Excellence's Training and Doctrine Directorate, said the event represented a milestone in training the Army's layered reconnaissance strategy. 
 
"This is the first time in years that we will be utilizing a Group 2, almost Group 3 size UAS in support of an Army course at Fort Rucker, since before the Shadow was really employed," Amacker said. 
 
The War Department categorizes UAS into Groups 1 through 5 based on weight, normal operating altitude and speed. Group 1 UAS are small, weighing 20 pounds or less, and operate below 1,200 feet above ground level at speeds of up to 100 knots. Group 2 UAS have a maximum takeoff weight between 21 and 55 pounds, operate below 3,500 feet above ground level and fly at speeds under 250 knots. Group 3 UAS, which included the Army's RQ‑7B Shadow, weigh between 56 and 320 pounds at takeoff, operate up to 18,000 feet above mean sea level and fly at speeds under 250 knots. 
 
The Stalker aircraft is built on a modular open systems approach and can adapt to new sensors, payloads and technologies to support changing operational needs. 
 
Amacker noted that the Army Aviation Center of Excellence's 1st Aviation Brigade identified the Stalker during the recent UAS summit. It moved quickly to acquire the system for training, ensuring students gain hands‑on experience with the latest reconnaissance technology. 
 
Army Maj. Rachel Martin, director of the Air Cavalry Leaders Course and Unmanned Advanced Lethality Course, emphasized the Stalker's flexibility compared to legacy systems.
 
"This system can take off and land vertically like a quadcopter, then transition to forward flight where it goes deadly silent," Martin said. "Its reduced visual and acoustic signature makes striking a target at 300 feet very likely, something that wasn't possible with louder systems, like the Shadow."

 
The system integrates into the Army's Common Lethality Integration Kit, allowing soldiers to select warheads at the user level and employ both newly designed payloads and existing munitions, such as 81 mm mortars. 
 
"What's great about this is that it's modular and fits on multiple [uncrewed aircraft systems]," Martin said. "It's a cheaper solution that can be rapidly reproduced." 
 
Martin noted the dramatic cost difference compared to traditional systems.  

"Instead of a Hellfire missile costing $100,000 to $150,000 per round, this solution costs about $800," she said. "That disparity is significant, and it reflects lessons from the Ukrainian fight, where cheaper solutions are proving decisive." 
 
Amacker added that the Army is exploring ways to print training rounds in‑house, further expanding opportunities for instruction while reducing reliance on traditional procurement systems. 
 
"This is the Army thinking outside the box," Martin said. "We're leveraging commercial technology to meet immediate needs in a faster, more affordable way." 
 
Training with the Stalker is scheduled to begin in December, ensuring instructors can incorporate the system into courses and prepare soldiers to employ it in tactical missions at the battalion and brigade levels.

Medal of Honor Monday: Army Lt. Col. Edward Silk

Nov. 24, 2025 | By Katie Lange, Pentagon News |

When Army Lt. Col. Edward A. Silk realized that his platoon wasn't going to put a dent in the enemy positions firing at them in France during World War II, he went on a one-man rampage to take the guns out himself. Miraculously, his mission succeeded. For his heroics, he received the Medal of Honor.

Silk was born June 8, 1916, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, to Irish immigrants Michael and Mary Silk. He was the youngest of 11 children.

When Silk was 2, his father died in an accident at the local Bethlehem Steel mill, according to the newspaper The Daily Herald out of Everett, Washington. His mother tried to care for all 11 children on her own, but she couldn't, so she eventually moved with her four youngest to Illinois to live at Mooseheart Child City, a residential child care community run by the Loyal Order of Moose, of which Silk's father was part. Mooseheart provides children and families in need with stability, support and education.

Silk did well at Mooseheart. According to the Moose organization, he played football for the high school and chose to stay an extra year due to job scarcity from the Depression so he could get training in ornamental concrete work. After graduating in 1935, he attended St. Bonaventure College in western New York for a time before eventually dropping out to join the workforce.

In April 1941, months before the U.S. entered World War II, Silk joined the Army Reserve. At some point he married his girlfriend, Dorothy Weimer, and had a son named Jerry. 

Silk was ordered to active duty Aug. 31, 1942. He earned a commission at Fort Benning, Georgia, before being sent to France in October 1944 with the 398th Infantry, 100th Infantry Division. About two months later, his brazen courage earned him the nation's highest medal for valor.

On Nov. 23, 1944, then-1st Lt. Silk's battalion was tasked with seizing high ground overlooking Moyenmoutier, France, ahead of a planned attack to liberate the city. Silk was commanding a weapons platoon in Company E that took the lead at dawn. By noon, they'd reached the edge of the woods near St. Pravel, where scouts saw in the valley below an enemy sentry standing guard outside a farmhouse.

Almost immediately, the scouting squad was pinned down by intense gunfire coming from within the house. Silk's platoon returned fire, but after about 15 minutes, there was no letting up in the enemy gunfire. So, Silk decided to take matters into his own hands.

He ran 100 yards across an open field before taking shelter behind a low stone wall directly in front of the farmhouse. After firing into the door and windows with his carbine, Silk then vaulted over the wall sheltering him and dashed another 50 yards through a hail of enemy gunfire to the left side of the house. He then tossed a grenade through an open window. The explosion that followed silenced the enemy machine gun and killed its two gunners.

When Silk tried to move to the right side of the house, another enemy machine gun began firing on him from a nearby woodshed. Summoning every ounce of courage he had, Silk rushed that position head-on, dodging direct fire to get close enough to throw more grenades, which destroyed that gun and its gunners as well.

By that point, Silk had run out of grenades — but not fortitude. Silk ran to the back side of the farmhouse, where he began to throw rocks through the window, demanding the remaining enemy soldiers' surrender. "Twelve Germans, overcome by his relentless assault and confused by his unorthodox methods, gave up to the lone American," Silk's Medal of Honor citation said.

Thanks to his decision to take on the burden of the attack alone, Silk's battalion was able to continue its advance on Moyenmoutier and eventually liberate the city.

Silk returned home in September 1945 as a hero. On Oct. 12, 1945, he and 14 other deserving service members received the Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman during a White House ceremony.

Silk remained in the Army after the war, working for a time while still on active duty as a patient consultant for the Department of Veterans Affairs. One of his last posts was with the 7822nd Station Complement Unit in Stuttgart, Germany.

By 1952, Silk had risen to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He and his wife went on to have two more children, Judith and Daniel.

In December 1954, Silk took command of the ROTC unit at Canisius College (now university) in Buffalo, New York, as a professor of military science and tactics.

Sadly, about 10 months later, Silk fell critically ill due to intestinal ulcers. He underwent at least three surgeries at a local military hospital before succumbing to complications on Nov. 19, 1955. He was only 39.

During his funeral services, the newspaper The Buffalo News reported that 600 ROTC cadets from Canisius marched behind Silk's hearse for 3 miles to St. Joseph's Cathedral, where his services were held. Silk was then buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

In 2004, Johnstown renamed a bridge in the hometown hero's honor. At the time, his daughter told newspapers that her father was a strict disciplinarian, but he was kind and had a great sense of humor.  

This article is part of a weekly series called "Medal of Honor Monday," in which we highlight one of the more than 3,500 Medal of Honor recipients who have received the U.S. military's highest medal for valor.