JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii – More than 100 members of the Colorado Air National Guard’s 140th Mission Support Group enhanced operational readiness and tested joint capabilities within the U.S. Pacific Command area of responsibility during Home Station Readiness Training, or HSRT26, a high-intensity exercise held June 8–19 in Hawaii.
The multi-faceted training mission brought together distinct capabilities from the 140th Civil Engineering Squadron, or CES; the 140th Force Support Squadron, or FSS; and the 140th Security Forces Squadron, or SFS. Operating across Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Bellows Air Force Station and U.S. Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay, the Airmen swapped the familiar terrain of Colorado for a humid, joint-service environment.
Civil Engineering Squadron
Members of the 140th CES conducted critical infrastructure repairs at Bellows Air Force Station and embedded firefighters with U.S. Marine Corps partners at Kaneohe Bay. At Bellows, the team executed interior renovations on guest cabins, installed metal roofing, completed concrete block repairs and handled complex plumbing and electrical wiring.
Between critical repairs, teams learned about environmental mitigation and the importance of clearing the invasive rhinoceros beetle, also known as Dynastinae, and reinforcing eroded sections of beach to stabilize the shoreline. Meanwhile, 140th CES firefighters completed integrated shifts alongside Marine Corps personnel.
“The main work was on the guest cabins, but we have done other work orders and other tasks throughout the base,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Christian Clark, 140th CES director of operations. “Whilst the buildings are kind of the exciting part, our usual tasks of maintaining the base, keeping work orders done and making sure the mission is operational continue.”
Deploying to the Pacific forced Airmen to adapt to an unfamiliar climate and navigate supply chain disruptions, Clark said.
“In Colorado, you don’t get the saltwater effect and the humidity effect on some of the rebar, metals and HVAC systems,” Clark said. “If we’re talking about a push to the Pacific, those are the kind of environments we’re going to be in. Picking up and going somewhere else and rolling with the punches is an essential skill to any unit.”
Force Support Squadron
The 140th FSS focused on employing personnel directly into high-tempo, active-component operations at Hickam. Services personnel integrated with the 647th FSS to gain experience running a three-meal-a-day dining facility, while human resources personnel embedded with the 154th FSS and Pacific Air Forces Manpower, Personnel and Services directorate to study strategic command information flows.
Additionally, 140th FSS personnel received formal administration training from a fitness assessment cell that processes more tests in a week than their home station encounters in a month, certifying several Colorado members to return home and augment wing staff.
“To go into that operational dining facility and into the fitness assessment cell, our Airmen got a taste of something different,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Patrick Nay, 140th FSS services superintendent. “Our Airmen got to expand their network and work with other units to see how they do things.”
The exercise exposed vital training gaps, particularly in command and control and communications under pressure.
“We tried to do a lot in such a short amount of time, so we kind of stepped over the walk phase and went straight to the running phase,” Nay said. “We don’t utilize the radios very much. Communication breaks down, then people get frustrated. We have to figure out how to integrate some of these things into a drill weekend a little more frequently so that we can improve upon those skills and maintain a decent baseline of familiarity at all ranks.”
Security Forces Squadron
The 140th SFS pushed its combat capabilities to the limit during Operation Iron Flag II, a three-phase tactical exercise conducted with the support of the Marine Corps’ 4th Reconnaissance Battalion. Using blank ammunition and the Marine Corps Tactical Infantry Skills Simulation System, the squadron’s Defenders split into two opposing elements.
The mission began with a simulated combat watercraft insertion onto a coastal training zone, followed by independent tactical navigation through thick jungle terrain. The squads cleared and secured independent military operations in urban terrain villages while fending off an active opposing force. The exercise culminated in a squad-versus-squad race to locate, secure and defend a downed drone.
From the tactical operations center, U.S. Air Force Maj. Shaunna Reed, commander, 140th SFS, managed command and control, monitoring both squads as they assaulted their objectives.
“We need to train like we’re going to actually have to go to war,” Reed said. “War in PACOM isn’t inevitable, but we prepare just the same. That’s something that we just can’t do in Colorado, so we need to go into those environments. They need to understand what it feels like to go through the thick brush here in Hawaii. They need to understand what the humidity feels like. If we don’t practice like we’re going to play, then we’re really just setting them up for failure.”
Members of the Mission Support Group are challenged to do everything they can to ensure they are ready to execute federal and state missions, said U.S. Air Force Col. Luke Donovan, commander, 140th MSG.
“In Hawaii, they improved their technical proficiency, readiness for contingency operations and ability to operate under persistent threat. They represented themselves and the organization well,” Donovan said.