The 86th Airlift Wing supported Exercise Saber Junction 26 with joint air mobility operations alongside Army and Marine Corps forces at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Aug. 24-30.
During the week, the wing executed distributed mission planning, patient movements, tactical airdrops and joint airborne operations, culminating in a joint forcible entry event that integrated Air Force C-130J and Marine Corps KC-130J Super Hercules crews with more than 600 paratroopers assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade.
Saber Junction 26 is a U.S. Army Europe and Africa exercise that tests the airborne brigade's ability to rapidly deploy, conduct joint forcible entry and operate alongside allied and partner forces during large-scale combat operations.
Leading into Saber Junction, the airlift wing conducted Exercise Agile Gateway, which began with a staging event at Chievres Air Base, Belgium, where, with 86th Communications Squadron support, an aircrew received its tasking and planned the mission from a distributed location.
The following day, the 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron responded to a simulated mass casualty event, transporting three simulated patients from Belgium to Germany. They were then transferred to a 76th Airlift Squadron C-21A Learjet during an engine-running offload/onload for a follow-on aeromedical evacuation.
The transfer was one of three aeromedical evacuation training flights conducted throughout the week as the squadron exercised engine-running patient transfers, rapid alert response and simultaneous generation of its C-21A and C-37A Gulfstream fleets.
"Agile Gateway and Saber Junction gave us an opportunity to test our agility and crisis-response capabilities in ways routine day-to-day missions can't," said Air Force Lt. Col. Kyle Gadoury, 76th Airlift Squadron assistant director of operations. "These exercises help ensure our squadron remains ready to support joint partners across Europe and Africa in high-tempo or contested environments."
Following the patient transfer, the 86th Logistics Readiness Squadron conducted simultaneous hot-pit refueling and engine-running onload operations on the C-130J.
These employment capabilities enabled the immediate transfer of patients and rapid onload and airdrop of sustainment cargo, setting the stage for the 173rd Airborne Brigade's upcoming operations at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany.
The training also demonstrated joint interoperability capabilities as 37th Airlift Squadron crews planned and operated alongside aircrews from Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 234, working through differences in terminology, procedures and aircraft capabilities before mission execution.
"This week showed how our different capabilities can connect and build on one another," said Air Force Capt. Charles Khoshabjian, 37th Airlift Squadron weapons officer. "Working with the Marines reinforced the importance of identifying differences in terminology and procedures early so we can build shared understanding, integrate effectively and deliver combat power for the joint force."
The wing's support for Saber Junction 26 peaked Aug. 26, when Air Force C-130Js and Marine Corps KC-130Js carried more than 600 paratroopers from Ramstein to the Joint Multinational Readiness Center. A C-37A also supported the mission as an airborne communications node, relaying the launch command between the airborne brigade and the airlift squadron.
The mission brought together Air Force, Army and Marine Corps capabilities to strengthen interoperability and rehearse rapid force employment across the theater.
"The joint forcible entry may be the culmination of our air mobility mission, but for the Army, it marks the start of the larger operation," Khoshabjian said. "What we deliver by air enables everything that follows on the ground."
The integration across airframes, mission sets and military services reflects the broader role the airlift wing provides to the joint force.
"No single capability defines what the 86th Airlift Wing brings to the fight," said Air Force Col. Matthew Wunderlich, 86th Operations Group commander. "By integrating our mobility capabilities with the joint force, we create the flexibility commanders need to respond across the theater. That integration is what turns individual capabilities into combat power."
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