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386 AEW executes Blue Marauder 21

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Daryn Murphy
  • 386 Air Expeditionary Wing
ALI AL SALEM AIR BASE, Kuwait --  Airmen from here and Al-Jaber Air Base, Kuwait, honed the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing’s force generation capabilities by training in the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept between the two bases on Oct. 1, 2021.

Members from the 386th Expeditionary Communications Squadron, 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron and 405th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron made their way to Al-Jaber with minimal manning and equipment to demonstrate their ability to land in an austere environment and establish a support network, repair the runway and provide medical care.

“ACE and multi-capable Airmen are operational constructs that enable personnel across an array of career fields to implement varying degrees of maneuver schema in a tactically broad mission set,” said U.S. Air Force Major Thomas Morgan, 386th AEW Plans and Programs deputy chief. “The 386th AEW’s contribution to the ACE concept allows the Marauder team to more readily defend our installations, host nation and coalition partners.”

The group boarded a C-130H Hercules flown by the 779th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron at Ali Al Salem Air Base. The 386th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron ensured the teams on board had what they needed in order to accomplish the mission.

While on the ground at Al-Jaber, the team immediately jumped into action. The EAES provided medical care to the simulated injured and transported them for further care back to ASAB. The ECES personnel began their processes for repairing the runway as the ECS members worked to establish their support network to provide communication capabilities in a hostile environment.

“We tested our deployment capabilities to a remote location by providing network communication via a Communications Flyaway Kit, CFK for short, and our Radio Transmission teams Hawkeye Satellite system,” said Senior Airman David Weide, 386th ECS cyber transport systems technician. “It’s important that we test these capabilities since we’re in a deployed location and if some real-world issues were to occur anywhere that we can make a satellite connection, we will be able provide network capabilities to keep the mission going.”

ACE is a concept that leverages networks of bases, multi-capable Airmen, pre-positioned equipment and airlift operations to rapidly deploy and maneuver around the globe. AFCENT has been using these principles to conduct missions and train Airmen during recent deployments, dynamic force employments, and other exercises featuring wet-wing refueling and integrated combat turn operations.

“Blue Marauder 21 is ongoing proof that the 386th AEW is extremely capable of our regional responsibilities largely in part to our exceptionally professional and gifted Airmen,” said Morgan.