Air Force

EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska – The 354th Civil Engineer Squadron received their fourth Balchen-Post award for excellence on March 6, 2024, for maintaining Eielson’s flightline throughout the winter season.

Established in 1976, the award is based off evaluations of snow and ice control plans and pre and post snow season briefs. The award panel also takes into account tasks and accomplishments completed throughout the year.

“The award honors the dedication and excellence exhibited by airport snow and ice control teams in maintaining safe and operational airports throughout the winter season,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Chaiya Thamvongsa, 354th CES horizontal construction mid shift noncommissioned officer in charge. “Eligibility extends to snow bases receiving an average of six inches or more of snow annually. During the 2022-2023 season, our region experienced a total snowfall accumulation of 93 inches over the course of winter.”

According to Thamvongsa, winning the award was a team effort, and took the work of multiple Airmen and civilians across various organizations.

“We depend significantly on the vehicle maintenance flight year-round to uphold the operational readiness of our equipment,” Thamvongsa said. “It took over 100 personnel comprised of 50 ‘Dirt Boyz,’ 15 civilians, 10 CES augmentees, 10 Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve augmentees, and 20 wing augmentees, demonstrating our commitment to collaboration and excellence.”

The work behind the accomplishment exemplifies the unity within the CES and within the snow barn.

“Working in the snow barn gave me a wider picture of what we’re capable of as a unit and as an installation,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Pearl Laguana, 354th CES structural journeyman. “The biggest thing that changed my perspective was realizing how many moving parts go on to help support these aircraft and the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command mission. With Eielson being the second longest runway in North America, it takes a lot of people to keep it up to regulations and safe for aircraft and ground crews.”

Eielson can receive multiple feet of snow every season and reach temperatures of minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit, which presents different kinds of challenges.

“The biggest challenge with our plows and brooms is the age of the equipment and the hours of nonstop usage in subarctic temperatures,” said Dustin Kelley, 354th CES engineering equipment operator. “We have been fortunate for the last few years with somewhat mild winters although we have seen short periods with temperatures between minus 20 and minus 60 degrees which aren’t ideal temperatures for any snow and ice equipment to sustain reliability.”

The teamwork that was utilized to win this award gives the Airmen and civilians who contributed a sense of accomplishment.

“Winning the Balchen/Post is a major accomplishment for the shop,” Thomvangsa said. “Seeing our team get recognition for their hard work gives everyone something to be proud of.”

Congratulations to the 354th CES for winning the Balchen-Post award.

AVON PARK, Fla. — As the sound of rifle fire from opposing forces fills the area, during the launch of an A-10C Thunderbolt II, maintainers on the airfield hit the ground for cover and fire back as they radio for support. Tires screeching from the response force vehicle as they zoom by and halt to engage the enemy and hold their position. When in the blink of an eye, the A-10C circles back to swoop down from the skies and eliminate what’s left of the opposing forces. This was just one of many scenarios conducted during the Agile Rage 2024 exercise at Avon Park, Florida, Feb. 26, 2024 – March 9, 2024.

Agile Rage 2024 is a National Guard Bureau-led military exercise that involves the collaborative efforts of various Air National Guard Wings conducting joint counter-land and combat search and rescue operations in a simulated medium to high-threat environment.

The exercise aims to enhance interoperability and integration by combining the efforts of each unit, showcasing their ability to adapt and overcome diverse and challenging scenarios.

“Our goal with Agile Rage is to prepare units for future overseas deployments, and provide readiness and integration opportunities unable to be achieved with home station training,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Garett Ruby, the Agile Rage exercise director.

Integration, yes, it’s this synergy between participating units that allows for complex training opportunities to be coordinated and executed with precision.

The 156th Contingency Response Group, tasked with leading the contingency response efforts at Avon Park sent the first Puerto Rico Air National Guard self-sufficient contingency response team to synchronize their capabilities to maximize training efforts.

Establishing an operating site with tents, generators and command and control, maintaining security and assessing runways for airfield operations are just the tip of the iceberg.

“Any exercise or training event that allows Airmen to forward deploy will help us better prepare for the future, said U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Harry Capo, the contingency response team chief assigned to the 156th CRG. “This helps us identify limiting factors, gaps in training, equipment requirements and provides an opportunity of conducting joint training between different units.”

One such opportunity of this integration was between the 156th CRG, PRANG, and the 127th Wing, Michigan Air National Guard, which were performing Agile Combat Employment with A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft, including maintenance operations and practice bomb loading.

“Integrating with the 156th CRG was key in giving our ACE team a realistic austere training environment,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Adam Dittenber, the A-10 ACE team lead assigned to the 127th Wing.

With both units executing their respective missions optimally, the question was, what do you do if, in the middle of launching an aircraft or conducting CR operations, you are attacked?

Such a concern could not be ignored, therefore, Capo coordinated with Dittenber a series of attacks from opposing forces played by Capo and a small team.

The attacks were targeted at the airfield and around the CR operating site, their goal was to enhance Airmen’s situational awareness and response procedures, shedding light on how an unsuspected event can impact operating capabilities.

Everyone had a part to execute, as soon as opposing forces engaged and started firing, it was paramount for Airmen to know how to assess and respond to that threat.

“Team members exercised skills in shoot, move and communicate in conjunction with the quick response forces, command and control communications with the tactical operations center and emergency close air support, calling in airborne A-10’s for simulated attacks on the opposition forces positions,” said Dittenber.

As the ever changing threat landscape continues to evolve, Airmen continuously train and stay adaptable to their environments, reinforcing their multi-capable readiness in order to execute coordinated tactical operations in contested environments.

“Small team operations are the future, not only for CR missions but agile combat employment; by combining forces with our sister units, we were able to validate key concepts and work together to overcome threats and obstacles by executing our multiple capabilities,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Kevin Rodriguez, the CRT chief in training assigned to the 156th CRG.

Though Agile Rage was hosted at the Air Dominance Center in Georgia, the exercise spanned across multiple locations, including the Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center and Townsend Bombing Range, both in Georgia, as well as Avon Park, Florida. With such an expansive operating field, bringing together multiple units with diverse skill sets was almost a necessity.

It’s these in-person war game-style scenarios in which you can truly see a level of commitment from Airmen that is sometimes difficult to capture in theoretical or table-top exercises; though logistics may present challenges at times, it’s evident that these trainings serve to prepare for future fights.