Engineering Squadrons Fortify Pacific Airfields, Advance Agile Combat Employment

Oct. 19, 2026 |

Air Force civil engineers recently completed a deployment to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, to revitalize historic runways and infrastructure abandoned after World War II on the neighboring island of Tinian, Northern Mariana Islands, helping prepare the Pacific theater for future operational requirements.

Virginia Air National Guard service members assigned to the 203rd Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers, 192nd Mission Support Group, 192nd Wing, deployed to Guam and Tinian and traded their traditional red unit caps for the 513th Expeditionary Red Horse hat. 

The deployment unified three distinct units under the 513th flag: Virginia's 203rd Red Horse; the Florida Air National Guard's 202nd Red Horse; and the active duty 819th Red Horse, stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana.

Together, these airmen, traditionally nicknamed "dirt boys" for their heavy equipment and pavement specialty, fortified airfields to bring the Air Force's agile combat employment operational concept to life. The ACE framework relies on dispersing forces rapidly across remote, austere spoke locations to complicate adversary targeting and increase survivability.

"The work is vast in nature and truly historical," said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Neil V. Keane, 203rd Red Horse senior enlisted leader. "Currently, the deterrence package we are advancing is more than $11 billion to date across the Pacific Air Forces area of responsibility. This underscores the importance of our mission and urgency to set and sustain the theater."

The effort demanded extreme adaptability in civil engineering. Shortly after arriving in the theater earlier this year, the unified squadron sheltered in place as two Category 5 typhoons battered the Mariana Islands. Once the storms cleared, the team pivoted to recovery operations before resuming construction under unforgiving geological and logistical constraints.

"First, the ground here isn't standard dirt — it's near-solid coral and limestone," said Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Steven Bond, 203rd Red Horse Guam operations superintendent. "When we tried using our standard dozers, excavators and graders to carve out the airfield ramps, they barely made a scratch. We ended up using an asphalt milling machine guided by 3D GPS to cut through the rock."

Supply chain limitations added another challenge.

"We don't have dedicated military cargo planes to move our heavy engineering assets," Bond said. "To get around this, we must rely entirely on civilian maritime vessels to ship our dozers, materials and tools from island to island."

Throughout the storm recovery and construction, the 192nd Wing Chaplain Corps deployed religious support teams to support airmen on the ground. The first team, consisting of Air Force Chaplain (Maj.) Robert Hunter and Air Force Master Sgt. Stephen Scull, 192nd Religious Affairs noncommissioned officer in charge, coordinated more than 500 pounds of essential gear and requested supplies to Tinian. 

The second rotation, consisting of Air Force Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Matthew Incorvaia and Air Force Staff Sgt. Wleed Muhmmad, 192nd Religious Affairs airman, assembled and distributed 48 morale care packages across the island.

"I was amazed by the resiliency of our 203rd Red Horse members and their willingness to care for one another and the families within these communities while working through their own challenges related to the aftermath of these storms," Hunter said. "On deployments, sometimes it's the little things that provide a positive morale boost that can make a difference over the weeks and months."

The squadron's long-term footprints will outlast their rotation. Across Andersen Air Force Base, Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, and Misawa Air Base, Japan, engineers were able to complete various stages of assembly for 20 arch-shaped, heavy-gauge steel warehouses designed to safeguard regional prepositioned war material kits.

Headquartered at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the 203rd is the Virginia Air National Guard's largest squadron. Red Horse units operate as self-sufficient, highly mobile heavy-construction teams capable of building expeditionary bases, revetments and runways in high-threat, bare-base environments.

"We are directly posturing the U.S. military to provide a combat-credible deterrence in the Pacific," Bond said. "Success means knowing these runways and warehouses are going to stand for decades. Even if future priorities or missions change, this infrastructure will be ready."

The unified 513th Expeditionary Red Horse successfully completed its deployment, overcoming a 12-day advanced departure schedule to secure a massive strategic footprint across the Pacific theater before handing operations off to the incoming rotation.

With main troop movements complete, the squadron's hard work directly sets the region up for agile combat employment operations that disperse forces across remote locations to increase survivability. 

Future planning is already underway as the team coordinates with regional planning and engineering groups for potential joint construction in the Philippines, Japan and Australia, while incoming forces are positioned to immediately continue concrete foundation work, warehouse construction and asphalt paving operations.

Arctic Experiment Explores Ways to Close Air Surveillance Gaps

Oct. 20, 2026 | By Air Force Capt. Kitsana Dounglomchan, 11th Air Force |

U.S. military personnel, scientists and international partners conducted live-fly testing in Alaska last month during the final event of a three-year Arctic air domain awareness experiment series, collecting data to assess technology that could help close surveillance gaps across the state.

The experiment examined whether an existing high-frequency transmitter, paired with a newly developed, low-cost receiver array, could detect aircraft beyond the coverage of current long-range radar sites. The effort focused on improving awareness across a region where vast distances, harsh weather and limited infrastructure present challenges for air surveillance.

Researchers used the University of Alaska Fairbanks' High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program facility and a receiver array in Cold Bay developed by industry partners to collect data on participating aircraft over the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea. Industry partners also supported the effort throughout the three-year experiment series by designing and executing the field experiment in partnership with government, scientific and operational participants.

"Understanding what this technology can do in the Arctic starts with collecting data under real operating conditions," said Carolyn Stwertka, Alaskan Command chief scientist. "Working with operational units allows us to compare the experimental observations with known aircraft positions and assess where this approach could help address gaps in air surveillance."

The team completed testing and met or exceeded its test execution objectives. Initial results show the system successfully achieved beyond-visual-line-of-sight aircraft detections and correlated them with the targeted flights. Thorough data analysis is ongoing.

The effort brought together Alaskan Command, U.S. Northern Command, the Air Force Research Laboratory, Defence Research and Development Canada, and scientific and operational partners.

Participating aircraft included an E-3 Sentry, HC-130J Combat King IIs and KC-135 Stratotankers. The aircraft served as cooperative targets, providing known positions against which researchers could compare the experimental data.

The event marked the conclusion of live-fly testing in the experiment series, which explored how existing infrastructure and emerging technology could complement current surveillance capabilities.

For Alaskan Command, the effort supports a broader focus on strengthening Arctic defenses through scientific collaboration and operational experimentation. Improving the ability to detect and track aircraft across Alaska and its approaches helps commanders assess potential threats and make informed decisions in defense of the homeland.

Exercise Keen Sword 2027 Begins in Japan

Oct. 20, 2026 | By Air Force Tech. Sgt. Tristan Truesdell, U.S. Forces Japan |

Multilateral Exercise Keen Sword 2027 began yesterday with an opening ceremony on Ishigaki Island, Japan.

About 45,000 Japan Self-Defense Forces troops, 11,000 U.S. service members and forces from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the Philippines are participating alongside observers from South Korea and the United Kingdom. The exercise runs through Oct. 29.

This is the 18th iteration of the biennial field training exercise. Training includes air and missile defense, facility protection and repair, logistics and resupply, casualty evacuation, and maritime operations.

"Today, it is a great privilege and significance to commence Keen Sword 27 in Ishigaki, Japan's westernmost point," said Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Adm. Tawara Tateki, commander of the JSDF Joint Operations Command. "Those gathered here today are under different national flags and represent different cultures, yet we share the same fundamentals, values of freedom and rules of law. We also share a common responsibility to preserve these values for future generations. In this sense, we are truly like-minded partners."

Tateki added that Keen Sword 27 is an exercise dedicated to preserving peace and stability.

"It is essential that Japan, [the] U.S. and participating like-minded countries leverage each other's strengths and transform our militaries into the capabilities and readiness to be able to act precisely in times of need," he said.

The exercise's bilateral and multilateral training scenarios help participating forces improve interoperability, information sharing and defensive coordination across multiple domains under realistic conditions.

"Today, four decades strong, Keen Sword stands as the absolute pinnacle of combat-ready exercises in the Pacific, with the most capable and consequential alliance in the world training alongside our international partners," said U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. George Rowell, deputy commander of U.S. Pacific Command. "Over the coming days, I have no doubt that we will train as one team to test our concepts, refine our command and control, and validate our ability to deter aggression and prevail in crisis or conflict."

Rowell noted that deterrence in the 21st century is not built on words or declarations; rather, it is built through demonstrated competence, cohesion and warfighting readiness.

"Keep drilling, keep learning and remain ready, together," he said.