OTIS AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Mass. - The 102nd Intelligence Wing concluded Exercise Formosa Guardian Nov. 1, ending a three-phase combat readiness assessment.
During the exercise, the 102nd Intelligence Wing Inspector General team tested and evaluated Airmen’s ability to perform their assigned mission-essential tasks, or METs, in a contested, degraded and operationally limited environment.
“We don’t know exactly what the next war will look and feel like,” said Lt. Col. Evan Lagasse, 102nd Intelligence Wing inspector general. “Our senior leaders have indicated we likely will not have the same freedom of movement we have created and maintained for ourselves in recent conflicts. To that end, we must exercise and prepare now to deter, compete and, if necessary, win in contested environments both abroad and at home.”
Exercise Formosa Guardian imposed simulated threats and conditions that the wing might face during a worst-case scenario event. Wing members responded to exercise injects, including simulated insider threats, active shooter scenarios, cyberattacks, facility evacuations, network and power outages, degraded and severed communications, physical intrusions, force protection condition changes and suspicious activity.
“The 102nd Intelligence Wing is comprised of extremely smart, motivated and highly capable Airmen who are ready to innovate, take charge and lead through any challenging scenario they face,” Lagasse said. “We try to challenge our Airmen more with each exercise so they gain the valuable reps and sets needed to win when it matters most.”
For the first time in more than 17 years, 102nd Intelligence Wing Airmen operated on a 24-hour schedule as a unified wing, presenting new challenges in logistics, command and control, and exercise coordination. The team partnered with multiple agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center to fly unmanned aircraft systems, the Massachusetts State Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit to respond to a simulated bomb threat, the 104th Fighter Wing Security Forces Squadron as simulated opposing forces, and the 105th Airlift Wing, New York Air National Guard, to transport Airmen aboard a C-17 Globemaster III to their simulated deployed location. These partnerships expanded the scope, scale, rigor and realism of the exercise, strengthening mission readiness across all units.
Airmen were encouraged to make proactive decisions based only on the information available to them and to take initiative in addressing challenges as they arise. The exercise emphasized progress over perfection, reinforcing the expectation that both enlisted and officer personnel act decisively rather than wait for direction. This approach was intended to build a more agile, stronger and resilient force.
“The Inspector General team understands it can be uncomfortable to be tested beyond our standard day-to-day operational environment,” Lagasse said. “We are firmly committed to helping our wing and its Airmen grow through failure. It has been motivating to watch our Airmen work hard, identify what works and what doesn’t, debrief results, train to improve and exercise again. Let’s continue to improve together. Our nation depends on it.”