JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. -- In a formidable display of readiness and collaboration, more than 800 mission-ready Air National Guard members gathered at the Air Dominance Center in Savannah, Georgia, April 21-27, 2025, for Operation Maverick’s Armistice. This exercise aimed to strengthen the ability of multiple units to adapt and respond to challenges in a complex environment and marked the largest movement of the 192nd Wing since before 9/11.
As the fourth iteration of an agile combat training exercise led by the 192nd Wing, based at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Virginia, Operation Maverick's Armistice brought together participants from various U.S. states and territories, including Virginia, Georgia, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The exercise fostered a culture of independence and collaboration, testing Airmen’s training, knowledge, and skills, and emphasizing the need for teams to identify, adapt, direct, and overcome challenges without relying on usual support structures.
Innovative Approach to Agile Combat Training
Operation Maverick’s Armistice, the latest iteration in a series of exercises designed to advance new concepts and techniques, distinguished itself by redefining operational strategies. The exercise pushed boundaries by expanding delegated authorities to cultivate self-reliance and interoperability, maintaining operations across multiple domains without any pre-positioned logistics or personnel. This strategy involved creating a forward presence only when essential, operating below enemy detection thresholds, and retreating discreetly to avoid being targeted.
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Lawrence Dietrich, OMA director from the VaANG, highlighted the exercise's focus on minimizing logistical buildup to reduce risks.
“By limiting forward, pre-positioned logistical support and personnel to zero, this exercise demonstrated that the Air National Guard can establish a forward presence when necessary,” he stated. “With no prior buildup, our goal was to initiate combat operations and seamlessly withdraw from the theater without exceeding a noise threshold that would attract targeting attention to our forces.”
Multi-Role Airborne Forces
This strategy focused on developing multi-role airborne forces capable of a primary role: KC-135R Stratotanker aerial refueling, secondary role: maintenance response cargo, and tertiary role: sustainment or fires team support. Mission planning and execution took place dynamically while airborne, enabling teams to adjust strategies in real-time and enhance their adaptability. This mindset assumes assets are more survivable in the air than stationary on the ground, as reducing organic buildup minimizes pre-planned targets for the enemy.
The Air Dominance Center was strategically chosen as the OMA headquarters due to its ability to accommodate large groups and its access to 50,000 square miles of airspace, enabling extensive pilot training.
U.S. Air Force Col. Brock E. Lange, VaANG, 192nd Wing commander, motivated Airmen during the opening briefings, urging them to embrace challenges and think innovatively. “The intent is to expand the envelope on what we could do with capabilities that we have today,” he said. “Every one of you has creative solutions within you. Use this week to explore those ideas.”
“As the Air Force has refocused its effort on the deployable combat wing, it was critically important that the 192nd Wing remember its roots,” said Lange. “Remember that we are a fighting team, and we're going to do it together.”
Diverse Teams and Innovative Solutions
Functional leads organized the Airmen into specialized teams, each assigned specific roles to execute the exercise’s objectives. While the Air Staff element based its headquarters in Savannah, select teams were forwarded to contingency operating stations at Naval Air Station Key West, Florida, and St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, to complete simulated missions.
“I was on one of the mission-ready Airman teams sent out to do an ACE [Agile Combat Employment] mission,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Joseph Bower, VaANG, 192nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron tactical aircraft maintainer. “We were sent with limited tools, and our mission was to get the jets turned and sent back out. We had the multi-capable Airman concept going. We had weapons troops doing chief duties. It was all hands on deck.”
Airmen from diverse career fields had opportunities to train together, sharing best practices and insights. U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Tyler Ragno, VaANG, 192nd Communications Flight client systems technician, showcased an impressive development created by his team: a portable, self-contained secure communication kit capable of utilizing various data sources. This innovation allowed teams to maintain connectivity anywhere in the Caribbean, effectively powering multiple laptops and communication systems through sustainable energy.
“My role in this exercise is to prove that the 192nd Wing, Virginia Air National Guard, can capably set up both classified and unclassified network communications as well as radio communications anywhere in the Caribbean,” said Ragno. “It's nice to apply what we have been learning at home station the last few years and go out in the field and demonstrate that one, it does work, and two, we are capable of doing it.”
In addition to technical advancements, the exercise encouraged the development of new early warning techniques and innovative uses of technology to provide critical targeting information across platforms.
Comprehensive Training and Teamwork
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jessica Padilla Gomez, PRANG, airfield management operations coordinator, expressed the value of learning from others. “I’m an airfield manager; I make sure that the area is safe for air traffic movement,” she said. “Every base is different. I am taking what I have learned and bringing it back home so we can work better together.”
“My role in the mission is with PERSCO [personnel support for contingency operations]. We ensure that we maintain 100% accountability of all participants in this exercise,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Henrietta C. Sampson, VIANG, personnel specialist. “It’s been exciting meeting other people in my career field.”
During OMA, a variety of airframes were utilized, including F-22 Raptor aircraft from the VaANG’s 192nd Wing and their active-duty counterpart, the 1st Fighter Wing; KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft from the 121st Air Refueling Wing, Ohio ANG and from the 171st Air Refueling Wing, Pennsylvania ANG; KC-46A Pegasus aircraft from the 157th Air Refueling Wing, New Hampshire ANG; C-130 Hercules aircraft from the 130th Airlift Wing, West Virginia ANG. The KC-135 and KC-46 aircraft also acted as airborne mission commanders for combat search and rescue scenarios.
Enabling units included PRANG’s 156th Contingency Response Group, GAANG’s security forces defenders, OHANG’s security forces Phoenix Ravens team, WVANG’s 167th Air Evacuation Squadron, VIANG’s 285th Civil Engineering Squadron, and VaANG’s 203rd Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers, or RED HORSE.
A unique resource available in the USAF is the aeromedical evacuation system, whose mission is to provide time-sensitive, mission-critical care to patients being transported between medical treatment facilities. The 167th AES brought their experience to OMA, working alongside members from the VaANG’s 192nd Medical Group during simulated casualty exercises.
“My typical job responsibilities as a flight nurse are to help coordinate all the medical care on the back of the aircraft,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. CJ Adams, WVANG, 167th AES flight nurse. “The thing I enjoyed the most about the exercise was being able to use multiple airframes. We’re qualified universally on a lot, but our main airframe is the C-130. So, being able to fly on a KC-135 and KC-46 and then get to see some air refueling on top of my normal duties was something we don’t get to see all the time.”
Operation Maverick's Armistice not only tested individual capabilities but also reinforced the principles of teamwork and versatile problem-solving, ensuring that all members are well-prepared for future challenges in a dynamic and unpredictable environment.
“As a first sergeant, what matters most to me is seeing our Airmen grow,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Elijio Lozano, VaANG, 192nd Wing first sergeant. “Operation Maverick’s Armistice allows them to utilize all their training in a real-world environment. This week, I have seen them think critically, make decisions under pressure and lead with confidence.”
“We tested each unit’s ability to identify problems, improvise, adapt and overcome,” said Dietrich. “OMA highlighted some areas to build on as these new operational and agile logistical tactics mature to enable joint and coalition force success in our next fight.”