KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- The Air Force Reserve’s 403rd Wing sent 48 Airmen from the 815th Airlift Squadron “Flying Jennies” and 803rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron to Michigan’s National All-Domain Warfighting Center, Aug. 2–16, for Northern Strike 25-2, the National Guard Bureau’s largest multi-component, multi-national exercise.
This year’s iteration brought together approximately 7,500 participants from across the U.S. military and allied nations to sharpen joint force readiness, validate combat capabilities, and enhance interoperability in air, land, and maritime domains.
The 815th AS, the only Air Force Reserve Command airlift unit in attendance at the exercise, brought two C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, four aircrews, and a team of maintainers.
One of the most significant milestones was the 815th’s role in testing a new expeditionary runway repair concept, said Maj. Michael Plash, 815th AS pilot. In coordination with Air Force Civil Engineer Center experts, the 815th AS team became the first to land a large U.S. aircraft on a fiber-reinforced polymer panel surface. The temporary landing zone, rapidly approved in just three days, demonstrated the ability to restore and use damaged airfields in austere environments, said Plash.
“This achievement showcased how quickly we can get an aircraft into the fight following rapid runway repair, a critical capability for future near-peer conflict scenarios,” he said.
Throughout the two-week exercise, the 815th AS integrated with joint and coalition forces to accomplish a variety of missions, which ranged from precision airdrops of cargo and equipment to rapid loading and unloading of the U.S. Army’s High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, referred to as HIMARS.
Working closely with U.S. Army personnel, the squadron cut loading times nearly in half, averaging just 14 minutes from landing to redeployment compared to the previous standard of 30 to 45 minutes, said Plash.
The Flying Jennies moved hundreds of personnel and conducted combat offloads, aeromedical evacuation training sorties, and a fully integrated mission with command-and-control aircraft, fighter jets, and combat search and rescue teams.
They also took part in mortuary affairs training events, which is a rare occurrence for most units, according to Plash.
“This exercise provided our Airmen and joint partners valuable hands-on experience in the dignified movement of remains in a training environment,” he added.
“These scenarios gave us the chance to put expeditionary concepts into practice, directly supporting the Air Force Force Generation or AFFORGEN model’s readiness requirements,” said Master Sgt. Chris Townsley, 815th AS weapons instructor, tactics noncommissioned officer in charge and loadmaster. “When we can get forces like HIMARS in place faster, we enable follow-on air and ground assets — from F-16 Fighting Falcons to A-10 Thunderbolt IIs to Marine helicopter gunships — to get into the fight sooner.”
The exercise also allowed 803rd AMXS maintainers to train in roles outside their traditional specialties, reflecting the Air Force’s shift from the “Multi-Capable Airman” concept to the broader Mission Ready Airmen framework.
Mission Ready Airmen are multi-skilled, adaptable members of cohesive teams, prepared to solve complex problems in contested environments. The framework begins at Basic Military Training and commissioning programs, focusing not only on technical skills but on understanding threats, the Air Force’s role in national defense, and the value of teamwork. Unlike the Multi-Capable Airman concept — which was closely tied to Agile Combat Employment — MRA emphasizes readiness for the full range of mission requirements across the AFFORGEN cycle.
“Mission Ready Airmen training moves away from just-in-time preparation,” Townsley said. “It’s ongoing, starting with individual skills, progressing to small team training, and maintained throughout the deployment cycle.”
Senior Master Sgt. James Comstock, superintendent of the 403rd Maintenance Operations Flight, was one of 12 maintainers with the 803rd AMXS who learned how to operate forklifts, chain and unchain vehicles, and load cargo, while still performing their core aircraft maintenance duties.
“Participating in Northern Strike was an outstanding opportunity for our maintenance team to showcase our skills in a joint environment,” said Comstock. “The exercise challenged us, strengthened our processes and proved our ability to keep aircraft mission-ready under demanding conditions—we thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the camaraderie it built.”
Townsley agreed.
“That cross-training was key to meeting tight mission timelines,” he said.
With their performance at Northern Strike 25-2, the 815th AS and 803rd AMXS demonstrated the Air Force Reserve’s ability to deliver rapid, adaptable, and integrated airlift support in a joint combat environment — and proved that the Mission Ready Airmen of the 403rd Wing can keep the mission flying.