JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM —
Air Mobility Command (AMC) kicked off Mobility Guardian 2023 (MG23) at a sprint, rapidly setting the stage for deployment and mobilization. Now, as Airmen and Allied forces move into their next phase of employment, they are set to demonstrate Maximum Sustained Tempo and Combined Joint Force mission generation under multiple levels of isolation.
This large-scale mobility exercise, fueled by 3,000 US and Allied Forces personnel, enables more than 15,000 U.S. and international global forces conducting simultaneous exercises across the Indo-Pacific. With detachments from Australia, Canada, France, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and New Zealand, MG23 is Air Mobility Command’s largest ever full-spectrum readiness exercise in the command’s history.
“The success of the Joint force requires a capable and integrated mobility Air Force that has the ability to rapidly deploy and employ in contested, degraded, and operationally limited environments,” said Maj. Gen. Darren Cole, MG23 Exercise Director. “This week, mobility Airmen embraced this challenge and proved our ability to maneuver the joint force at the moment of our time and choosing.”
This exercise provides the framework to not only hone vital readiness skills, but also enhance Allied Forces interoperability in operationally limited environments across several key areas such as airlift, aerial refueling, aeromedical evacuation, the Global Air Mobility Support System (GAMSS), command and control, and humanitarian and disaster assistance.
“Through MG23, we have the opportunity to become a more tightly integrated force, refining how we all operate, making our mission one and the same,” said Cole. “MG23 is building the readiness of the most relied upon maneuver force.”
MG23 is proving that Allied Forces can seamlessly integrate with AMC to provide efficient and effective support through aircraft, personnel, and logistics. Within days of execution, the three large aircraft types currently operated by the Royal Air Force’s Air Mobility Force, the C-17 Globemaster, the Voyager, and the Atlas A400M, have all united at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam throughout the deploy, sustain and recover phase of the exercise.
The gathering of the three aircraft types is an excellent illustration of what this air mobility exercise represents for the RAF,” said RAF Wing Commander Phil Foster, the RAF detachment commander for the exercise. “Each aircraft has carried out its ability to deliver strategic effects to enable the RAF participation in the exercise.”
Foster explains the exercise itself is a significant opportunity to demonstrate the concept of the RAF’s Air Mobility Force’s reach and regional presence, to develop key integration between Allies and partners as this is key to the United Kingdom’s ability to conduct Global Air Operations and project UK air power.
Maintaining a large-scale rapidly deployable military force is a continuous effort. AMC exercise planners collaborated with planners from dozens of air forces, joint, and international units to ensure the exercise delivers on its mission.
“Preparation for this exercise, and the ones to come, set a higher standard with every iteration,” said Cole. “Learning from our experiences is essential to making us an unstoppable and united force.”
