ALPENA, Mich. – More than 200 Airmen from the Ohio National Guard’s 269th Combat Communications Squadron out of Springfield, Ohio, and the 123rd Air Control Squadron out of Blue Ash, Ohio, integrated to transform a barren landscape into a high-tech command center during a June 1-12 exercise.
Dozens of military trucks rumbled into an empty field of gravel, sand, scattered brush and long grass for the exercise that transformed a bare-bones location into a fully functioning command-and-control hub. Squadrons were required to provide and sustain their own infrastructure, withstanding hot weather, mosquitoes and sandy terrain to anchor their antenna masts and ground their generators.
The exercise served a critical strategic purpose: to practice realistic, large-scale combat operations in a contested environment with simulated electronic warfare. Airmen sharpened their readiness in a battlespace featuring adversarial aircraft, heavy electronic jamming and surface-to-air threats.
“Being here at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center helps us prepare for what we consider austere location environment," said Senior Master Sgt. Travis Brown, warfighter communications superintendent assigned to the 123rd Air Control Squadron. "It forces us to bring our own power, bring our own network connectivity, our own reach-back ... and provide all of our essential services as if we were going to a base for the very first time.”
Despite the environmental hurdles, the teamwork on the ground pushed the mission forward at a rapid pace. The 269th Combat Communications Squadron established multiple communications links among various sites, employing the principles of Agile Combat Employment. The links demonstrated different capabilities, including line-of-sight, bent-pipe satellite and high-frequency communications.
“This is the quickest we've got everything up in years, ever since I've been in,” said Staff Sgt. Auna Tack, a radio frequency transmissions technician assigned to the 269th Combat Communications Squadron.
The swift setup allowed the joint force to focus on deployment readiness. It provided the full planning-to-execution cycle of large-force employment, while testing maintainers and air battle managers under rapid-deployment conditions. The units gained valuable experience in complex mission sets, including air-to-air combat, defensive and offensive counter-air strike coordination and close air support.
To prepare for modern pacing threats, the Airmen faced simulated near-peer adversary scenarios. Several scenarios included heavy radio frequency jamming, testing their ability to maintain connectivity despite adversary interference. Undaunted by the challenges and proving their ingenuity, the Airmen of the 269th Combat Communications Squadron implemented a custom feature that maintained data continuity by redirecting data flow from a degraded link to a stable one without operator intervention.
“Our near-peer adversaries are always looking at what we're doing and trying to come up with anything that can make our lives worse,” said Master Sgt. Tyler Seitz, a mission planner with the 269th Combat Communications Squadron.
For the younger Airmen, the hands-on experience proved invaluable, linking the hardware they set up to the broader mission of air dominance.
“What people don't realize is our equipment is actually what the air traffic controllers use to make sure that the pilots know where they are in the sky and where the enemy is,” said Airman 1st Class David Trivett, a radio, airfield and weather systems technician assigned to the 123rd Air Control Squadron.
Ultimately, the exercise proved that by integrating these units in a simulated remote deployment, the Air Force ensures its tactical communications and air control capabilities remain agile, reliable and battle-ready.