Airmen from across the 104th Fighter Wing participated in a mobility exercise August 9-16, 2021 at Barnes Air National Guard Base, Massachusetts. This exercise tested several units on their ability to rapidly deploy and process aircraft, equipment, cargo and personnel while maintaining mission readiness at home station. Several units across the wing were involved and evaluated throughout the duration of this exercise, which included: the wing’s, the maintenance group, the operations group, the logistics readiness squadron, the force support squadron among several others.
While crew chiefs prepare the aircraft for launch, members of the operations group work behind the scenes to ensure pilots and personnel are informed and trained for the mission at hand. Generating and mobilizing aircraft and equipment would be impossible without logistical readiness Airmen. The last but certainly not the least, any mission, exercise or operation, would be inoperable without the Airmen, and Force Support Airmen worked alongside other wing support agencies throughout the mobility exercise to ensure that those heading out on mission are ready across the board for wherever they are heading.
“Our job as operations personnel is to make sure that our aircrew and pilots are informed, qualified and prepared to deploy. It is crucial that we identify flaws and work out kinks during exercises like these so that things don’t break down if we have to mobilize for a real operation. It was also rewarding to see everyone come together to accomplish the mission,” said Master Sgt. Jaime Santiago, an aviation resource management specialist with the 104th Operations Group.
The 104th Fighter Wing (104 FW) is a unit of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, stationed at Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport (Barnes Air National Guard Base), Westfield, Massachusetts. When activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command. In its dual state mission, the 104th Fighter Wing is an Air Force component of the Massachusetts National Guard. The 104th Fighter Wing flies the F-15 Eagle and supports Air Force wartime contingency requirements, performing a variety of missions to include a 24/7 active Air Control Alert (ACA) to protect the Northeast corridor of the United States.
