NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. —
Gen. Johnny Lamontagne, commander of Air Mobility Command, participated in a panel discussion titled “Exercising for Great Power Competition” with Gen. Kevin Schneider, Pacific Air Forces commander, Lt. Gen. David Miller, USSF Space Operations Command commander, and Lt. Gen. John Healy, Chief of the Air Force Reserve, and Commander, Air Force Reserve Command, Sept. 18 at the Air and Space Forces Association Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Md.
“For us, exercises are really about the opportunity to rehearse,” said Lamontagne, who assumed command on Sept. 9. “We have to be able to project a healthy amount of forces across a vast distance, and immediately flip to supporting the ability to employ those forces on arrival.”
While Lamontagne discussed the importance of sustaining the force, he expressed the importance closely integrating the 618th and 613th Air Operations Centers to keep tempo with PACAF’s concept of operations.
When asked how AMC is preparing for the future fight, Lamontagne outlined the command’s goal to further increase connectivity among the Mobility fleet and the need to address logistical limitations, a gap identified during Exercise Mobility Guardian 2023.
“It is not enough for us to do it as a service,” said Lamontagne. “The more we exercise at a joint level allows us to project, sustain and employ the entirety of the Joint Force,” said Lamontagne. “We are getting a good idea of what that looks like early, this is what we plan to do with Mobility Guardian 2025, getting those reps and sets in to help our forces.”
When asked about the integrated training with allies and partners, Lamontagne spoke to AMC’s success with Mobility Guardian 2023.
“We had six allies flying interdependently with us, complete interoperability.” Lamontagne went on to say, “We’re doing maintenance on their airplanes, they’re doing maintenance on ours. We are tackling this at an operational level, and we will do it again at Mobility Guardian 2025.”
He also spoke about AMC’s recent experimentation with adjusting tactics, techniques and procedures.
“The leadership team worked through max endurance operations. We put two crews on an airplane to project power further and faster than we otherwise would be able to keep,” said Lamontagne. “Then we could turn it to employ and support the [Joint] team very, very quickly.”
Adjustments to the TTPs will also enable the force with operating from smaller and more remote locations in the Pacific.
Forces will become more disconnected and more isolated because of the lack of a full primary, alternate, contingency and emergency [PACE] plan when it comes to communication,” Lamontagne exclaimed. “This is the importance of having mission command and mission type orders, so when the team is disconnected at that small base, they know exactly what’s expected of them to fly, flight and win while supporting the Joint Force.”
Having capability and capacity to support Rapid Global Mobility operations and project into theater isn’t a solo operation. Integration across the Total Force is critical for AMC. Healy provided a recent example for how AMC and AFRC partnered to surge support to the Middle East last fall.
“There was perfect coordination with the ballet between Air Mobility Command and the Reserve Command,” stated Healy. “It allowed the Reserve to go forward. It allowed the active duty a fighting chance to prepare just in case any other country started acting out.”
As the whole of the Air Force enterprise transitions to operate within Great Power Competition, Mobility Air Forces continue to push to keep pace with the changes and exercises to ensure that it’s Airmen can continue to deliver for the Joint Force.
