Air Force

POINT MUGU, Calif. – U.S. and allied forces joined academic and industry partners Sept. 17-23 to conduct Gray Flag 2024, an annual test event hosted by Naval Test Wing Pacific and VX-9 at Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu, California.

This year, more than 3,000 personnel units from the Navy, Marine Corps, Army, and Air Force participated in Gray Flag to conduct more than 60 test initiatives. The complex event featured approximately 600 aircraft sorties and more than 26 unique systems under test on the ground.

The Point Mugu Sea Range, which is a 36,000 square miles of instrumented sea and airspace operated by Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD), provided a unique location for Gray Flag’s multi-domain, joint test requirements. Leveraging Live, Virtual, and Constructive test elements allowed more complicated, modern warfighting problems to be modeled, tested, and addressed during Gray Flag.

“Gray Flag 2024 was an opportunity to bring together a diverse group of participants from different branches of the military, academic partners, science and technology leaders, and allied partners,” said Naval Test Wing Pacific commodore Capt. David Halpern.

“The broad scope of participants allowed us to test and evaluate our systems and how they interact with one another in an operationally relevant environment,” he added. “This was the most expansive interoperability event to date, with the data captured informing requirements, tactics, techniques, and procedures for future kill chains.”

The inclusion of multiple allied partners during Gray Flag 2024 was critical to ensuring the test event represented how the Navy operates.

“Our nation’s success in future conflicts depends on how well we can integrate and jointly operate with our allies and partners,” said Rear Adm. Keith Hash, NAWCWD commander and Naval Air Systems Command’s Chief of Test. “The CNO said it best in NAVPLAN 2024: The U.S. Navy fights in a warfighting ecosystem. As we continue to deter aggression and protect the freedom of the seas, we aren’t operating alone. We shouldn’t test alone either.”

ROYAL AIR FORCE MILDENHALL, England – Earlier this year, U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Joseph “Joey” Cyr, 100th Operations Support Squadron Aircrew Flight Equipment superintendent, attended the U.S. Navy Senior Enlisted Academy through the Sister Service Enlisted Professional Military Education Course (SSPMEC) at Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island.

Growing up in Newport, five minutes from where the Navy Senior Enlisted Academy holds a seven-week course to refine senior enlisted members into sharper, more knowledgeable, and more capable leaders, this was not Cyr’s first time interacting with the academy or its students.

As a young man, he worked at a t-shirt printing company that happened to print shirts for each class attending the academy course. Already with aspirations of joining the Air Force, Cyr noticed an order from one of the new classes that included a shirt with an emblem that was not a naval enlisted rank.

“I spoke with my boss and mentioned I’d never seen this rank before and thought it was an Air Force emblem,” said Cyr. “My boss said, ‘Yeah, the master sergeant is coming in to pick them up if you want to talk with him.’ So, I did. I started speaking with him about the aspirations I had and mentioned I didn’t realize the Air Force could attend the naval academy nearby, and he said, ‘We put out open seats for it. If you get lucky and you’re good enough, you can come to the course.’ I thought to myself, ‘That would be awesome – if I could come full circle.”

Cyr enlisted, left home and was first stationed at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, in 2010. Over his 14 years of service, he traveled around the globe and eventually found himself back at RAF Mildenhall with the Bloody Hundredth today.

“I told my commander that attending the course in Newport was still one of my top three goals, so I put in a package that went to U.S. Air Forces in Europe for [the wing’s] nomination, and ended up getting to go!” said Cyr. “It was the best time I’ve had in my entire military career.”

This professional course goes beyond traditional military education, offering a unique opportunity to understand different service cultures, operational methods, and leadership philosophies. For Airmen, learning side by side with their sister service members and allied nation counterparts promotes a deeper appreciation for the roles and missions of each individual entity. This understanding is crucial for joint operations, where seamless communication and the ability to anticipate the needs and responses of fellow service members can be the difference between mission success and failure.

“To me, this was also a chance at going home to Rhode Island. My family and friends have only seen ‘Joey, the young college kid and baseball player.’ They’ve never seen Master Sgt. Cyr,” he said. “I told them I was coming back for a professional course to develop my leadership skills and show them that the military has turned me into the man I am today. Without all these courses and lessons I’ve been learning, I wouldn’t be where I am now.”

This PME course introduced senior enlisted members to a range of leadership approaches that are specific to each branch’s unique culture and challenges. For the Air Force, this exposure to different training methods, organizational priorities, and leadership styles brings valuable insights back to their units. Cyr’s journey at the Navy Senior Enlisted Academy allowed him to learn how the Navy emphasizes traditions of mentorship and sailor-to-sailor development differently from the Air Force.

“There was a leadership lesson that became a complex breakdown for each of us, giving us the chance to see everyone’s strengths and weaknesses on the team,” said Cyr. “We were given tools that showed us how to capitalize on them. It was a way to fine-tune my leadership skills and eventually bring them back here to my unit.”

Cyr’s time at the academy highlighted the importance of building strong, enduring relationships across services. He witnessed firsthand how sharing experiences and exchanging ideas with leaders from other branches broadened his perspective and deepened his understanding of the U.S. military’s interconnectedness. He said it also emphasized that while each service may have its own unique way of doing things, the ultimate goal remains the same: working efficiently and effectively to protect and defend the nation.

The SSEPMEC fosters a more cohesive and interoperable military force by providing leaders with a broadened perspective and a deeper understanding of joint operations. It is not just about learning new techniques or strategies. It’s about embracing a mindset that values diverse experiences and actively seeks out opportunities for collaboration. For Cyr, and many other senior enlisted members, this academy course was a pivotal step in a lifelong journey of service, growth, and development.

“It was nice to see the variety of people we had in our class and all of the different mindsets,” he said. “We had the U.S. Navy, Marines, and Air Force, along with Korean and German service members. Luckily, my flight nominated me to be a flight leader, and gave me the opportunity to lead my team and test my leadership skills.”

Such insights are crucial in shaping adaptive leaders who can manage diverse teams and work effectively in joint environments. This cross-pollination of ideas helps leaders refine their strategies, draw from a broader toolkit of leadership techniques, and ultimately make better decisions, and better servicemembers.

“Because of the leaders and the conversations we had in the room, I felt I had refound my purpose again,” he said.

As Cyr’s story illustrates, this course is more than just a professional milestone; it is an ongoing commitment to the principles of joint service and shared mission success. Through programs like this, the U.S. military continues to cultivate leaders who are not only experts in their own service but also men and women who can champion a unified outlook across all branches.

“As a team leader, I was asked if I thought education for enlisted members was important,” he said. “I said we always have up-and-coming Airmen with masters and doctorate degrees and an abundance of life experience. As a senior enlisted leader, I’m someone who has to lead those Airmen and mentor young company grade officers. So I need to remain sharp, and these kinds of courses provide the skill and experience to help.”

Master Sgt. Joseph Cyr graduated as an honorary chief petty officer with class 276, Green Horizon, accomplishing his goals, honing his leadership, and remaining open to the idea that there’s room for expected failure. He explained that the leaders reminded him that as we learn from failure, we find truth.

“They replanted the idea that we, as military members, are role models. We are what ‘right’ looks like. We are ambassadors, and people look up to us,” said Cyr. “With that knowledge, I’m creating an environment with room to fail, but I will not let my Airmen become failures.”

Shannon Collins

Armed Forces Sports

WASHINGTON – As he approached the mile 20 marker with grit and intensity in a pack, he decided to make a move. He kicked in his reserves, picked up a brutal pace and won the 49th Marine Corps Marathon and took gold in the Armed Forces Championship Men’s Division with a time of 2:25:06.

Maj. Kyle King, assistant fires lead, Tactical Training Exercise Control Group, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, 29 Palms, California, was the first active-duty Marine to win the MCM back in 2022 in more than 30 years.

Running MCM

King said he was nervous in the first half of the race because of the hills.

“I was nervous because the pace didn’t feel comfortable early on, especially going uphill,” he said. “I’ve never been a great uphill runner.”

In 2022, he did hill repeats at least once a week to prepare for the race. For this race, he only had six weeks to train. He worked more on speed work this time.

He took the lead at mile 20 but didn’t want to do that.

“Usually, if you’re going to take the lead at mile 20, you want to make a big move and try to break people,” he said. “I wasn’t sure I was fit enough to do that. I was afraid I was going to break myself and not them. I wanted to wait until mile 23 but it just kind of happened at mile 20, so I just decided to go with it and hope for the best. Luckily, it worked out.”

King said when he was stationed in Colorado from 2018 to 2021, he learned to train at high volume, from 35 miles a week to 60 to 80 in a three-week period. He also ran his personal record time of 2:16.

He met his girlfriend of three years, Hope Sweetnam, while he was in Colorado. She was at the finish line this year to congratulate him and give him water.

“It made me cry. She lets my guard down,” King said. “She’s there for the majority of my struggles to get into running shape.”

“I wasn’t surprised he won because of the work he put in, but I’m so proud of him,” Sweetnam said. “I told him before the race, always leave room to surprise yourself. I think he did.”

King had said a goal of his had been to help the All-Marine Running Team to win the 2014 Armed Forces Championships at MCM, and he accomplished that. They took gold and the commander’s cup.

Call to serve

Growing up in Coupeville, Washington, King said he’s wanted to join the military since he was a child.

“Growing up on an island, I was always drawn to the amphibious nature of the Marine Corps and the opportunity to work on land and sea,” he said, laughing because he’s stationed in the Mojave Desert.

Love of sports

King joked that in sixth grade, he was one of slowest runners on the soccer team, so he had to play goalie. In middle school, he played football, basketball, baseball and track and field.

In seventh grade track and field, his love of competitive running sparked the flame.

“I really wanted to win whatever raced, but several of my friends were better sprinters than me,” he said. “My older sister was an accomplished distance runner, and I thought, I may have the same potential and could win the distance race if I were willing to run harder than anyone else.”

His high school was in the A Division; he won five state divisions. In college, he ran for Eastern Washington University, Washington, and his fifth year at the University of Oklahoma. He won the 2011 Big Sky Conference Indoor 5,000-meter Championship and the 2012 Big Sky Outdoor 10,000-meter Championship.

He placed 47th in the 2020 Marathon Olympic Trials in Atlanta, Georgia, and eighth in the 2019 Military World Games in Wuhan, China. He hopes to run the Boston and New York marathons for fun.

Mentors and support

King said he wouldn’t be as successful as he is without his mentor, family, leadership, girlfriend, and those who have supported him along his journey.

“My coach Chris Hammer is an inspiration as he just won gold at the Paris Paralympics in the triathlon,” King said. “My family and partner, Hope, are always an inspiration as they have been alongside me or supported me through my running journey.”

Sweetnam’s dad served in the Canadian Army for 30 years as an infantry and airborne officer.

They recently did the Joshua Tree Traverse hiking trail in California together. Kyle will run a trail for pace, and Hope, also a runner, will standby with gels, water and support, but can cover distance quickly, just not at the same pace.

“Doing the Colorado Trail and ultra marathons taught me your body can adapt to whatever you need to do in many cases,” Kyle said. “She’s always out there supporting me. We race in the pool. She’s a good swimmer. She beats me. It’s not even close. We’re looking into fast packing, maybe trail runs.”

“For the past 12 weeks, he’s been training in the desert at 3,500 feet, getting after it, training in that lack of oxygen,” Sweetnam said. “He hasn’t had much sleep. He’s such a competitor. He’s doing what he loves. It’s the Marine in him.”

Sweetnam said Kyle is the ideal athlete she hopes children look up to, other athletes look at and say, I can do what he does within the bounds of their day or week, they can accomplish their goals.

“And I hope they can see his kindness,” she said. “You could see the number of people he was hugging, coming across the finish line. People were just happy for him. It just reflects on his kindness, his openness, his friendliness, his absolute dogged competitiveness, but he’s also lighthearted and loving.”

Kyle said winning the Marine Corps Marathon is possible for anyone who works for it.

“When I won the race in 2022, I trained an average of 60 to 90 minutes a day in three months leading up to the race,” he said. “Prioritize what you want to be great at and dedicate an hour to it every day. You might surprise yourself!”