Space Force

The 374th Airlift Wing command team recently visited units and partners across New Zealand and Australia from 23 – 28. February.

The trip started out in RNZAF Base Auckland, New Zealand, where the 40 Squadron stood up their latest C-103J Super Hercules platform. Air Force leaders from both countries engaged in discussions centering around the air platform and future interoperability.

“Firstly, this visit would not have been possible without the power of relationships,” said Col. Richard McElhaney, 374 AW commander.

McElhaney had previously met Squadron Leader Luke Flemington, the C-130J Transition Unit Trial and Development Manager, while they were going through the C-130J senior officer course at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, last year.

“He invited us out to take a look [at their mission], and we happily took him up on that offer,” added McElhaney.

Following their stop in New Zealand, the leadership team visited multiple units and detachments throughout the Australian continent. Their first stop in Australia was the Pacific Air Force Air Postal Squadron Detachment 4, from Sydney Airport. The detachment falls under the 374 AW and serves as the sole hub for all packages destined for Department of Defense personnel in Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica.

They made their next next stop in Royal Australian Air Force Williamtown, Newcastle, where the No. 2 Squadron worked with personnel on the U.S. Air Force acquisition of the E7-A Wedgetail.

“The U.S. Air Force, in partnership with the RAAF, has expanded its exchange presence at No. 2 Squadron to 66 Airmen across 13 Air Force Specialty Codes,” said Lt. Col. Shahin Namazi, director of operations for U.S. Air Force E-7 Wedgetail Exchange. “This is a challenging, yet rewarding assignment and these visits provide our Airmen the opportunity to ask questions and receive feedback.”

Their third stop was at the U.S. Embassy in Canberra, where the 337th Air Support Flight is headquartered. The squadron serves as the oversight and support function for all DoD installations in Australia.

“I had no idea what all the 337 ASUF was responsible for and how positively intertwined they are with the Embassy,” said McElhaney. “I get a weekly report on activities, but until you see it in person, you don’t grasp the magnitude [of their operations].”

The final stop of their trip was Learmonth, where the 2nd Weather Squadron Detachment 1 is responsible for monitoring solar activity 24/7, which impacts space weather and DoD communications.

“It was a great experience to interact with Yokota AB leadership,” said Maj. Makalena, 2nd WS Det. 1 commander. “It gave us a chance to increase the awareness of our mission and the challenges we face as one of their supported geographically separated units.”

McElhaney reflected on his trip, having visited five units scattered across two whole countries.

“The 337 ASUF supports all DoD in-country, but the 374 AW provides Civil Engineer Squadron, Force Support Squadron and Communications Squadron support to a number of U.S. Air Force units that don’t even fall under our wing structure,” McElhaney said. “I will certainly pay more attention and ask more questions now that I know we are taking care of all these pockets of excellence in Australia.”

Military Sealift Command (MSC) chartered Motor Vessel Cape Henry (T-AKR 5067) continued its voyage through the Pacific and arrived at Sattahip, Thailand, to offload equipment in support of Joint Exercise Cobra Gold 2025 (CG25), Feb. 17-21.

Thailand was the ship’s first point of discharge at the ports of Toong Pronge and Sattahip, and the ship offloaded approximately 255 cargo items and containers. Cape Henry departed Thailand Feb. 21 and journeyed to its next port to offload more equipment in support of other missions.

The transportation evolution is called Operation Pathways and is an overarching umbrella that supports the deployment and redeployment of equipment coming from the U.S. to support a number of bilateral and multilateral training events throughout Southeast Asia, and usually begins with the offload in Thailand and continues on to other Southeast Asia locations to support other events.

The operation, and the joint exercise demonstrates the U.S.’s ongoing readiness to project forces throughout the region in support of Allies and partners to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Cape Henry is one of three H-class ships and is part of the Ready Reserve Force (RRF) fleet of vessels. The RRF is a subset of vessels within the Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) National Defense Reserve Fleet ready to support the rapid worldwide deployment of U.S. military forces.

According to the MARAD website, RFF provides nearly 50 percent of government-owned surge sealift capability.

Cape Henry is a 750-foot long roll-on, roll-off (RO/RO) cargo vessel with four decks of cargo space. It can accommodate 186,000 sq. ft. of cargo, which equates to about 4.3 acres of space that can equal roughly 38,000 tons of cargo.

Despite its massive presence, the ship’s characteristically low draft allows for this impressive amount of tonnage while still getting into smaller ports.

The vessel can carry a significant amount of containerized and RO/RO cargo, which makes it large enough to be militarily useful, but small enough to get into the smaller ports.

“This ship is really perfect for this kind of mission,” said contracted mariner Capt. Conor Sullivan, Cape Henry’s master. “It is so versatile because of the way it’s setup. The combination of the RO/RO ramp, and having a high capacity crane allows us to go essentially anywhere.”

If the ship is in an environment that prevents the use of the RO/RO ramp, such as a smaller pier, cargo handlers can move vehicles and cargo to the upper deck and discharge the items with the 40-ton crane.

“We can do a lot of stuff that other ships can’t,” said Sullivan. “We can go into ports and put down our ramp and off load quickly, or we can go into port and offload the whole ship quickly with the crane, if we had to. That feature is not one that most ships have.”

As the ship arrived at the port, a detachment of Soldiers with the U.S. Army’s Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) led the Cape Henry offload.

The SDDC team boarded the vessel and directed the stevedores what to download, and how to download the cargo; and with the help of the exercise training audience, they directed them to safely discharge all the equipment.

“Once the items are off the vessel, they are staged at the marshalling area for onward movement to the respective training area,” said Army Lt. Col. Gregory B. Andrews, commander, 835th Transportation Battalion, 599th Transportation Brigade, SDDC, out of Okinawa, Japan. “We enable a training audience to build out their combat power by assisting in the safe execution and download of the vessel.”

The features of Cape Henry fully complemented the uniqueness of the exercise and facilitated an efficient discharge of all cargo.

“This platform is great because we love the RO/RO capability,” said Andrews. “It makes it really easy to be able to unlatch the stored vehicles and discharge them right off the ramp.”

To support the smooth discharge of equipment, MSC deployed a five-member Reserve-component team from various Reserve expeditionary port units (EPU) in the U.S. to assist with port operations.

“As an EPU, we’re here to liaison between the ship and MSC headquarters, so if there’s any issues with the offload, or with the ship, we can help address the situation,” said Lt. Cmdr. Sam C. Chiang, Navy Reserve Unit MSC Far East EPU, out of Navy Reserve Center Alameda, Calif. “The operation has gone as planned, with no issues. The cargo plan seemed to go smoothly.”

According to Chiang, an EPU is a highly mobile unit that can deploy rapidly anywhere in the world to support overseas contingency operations, setup port operations and establish presence where there is no MSC or U.S. Navy support established in order to receive cargo ships: government owned, government contracted or chartered ships.

“This was great training for us. I think we learned a lot working with the various stakeholders,” said Chiang. “This training opportunity allowed us to familiarize with the process of port operations with ships, and better engage with SDDC and all the other components of port operations.”

Joint Exercise Cobra Gold 25 – the 44th iteration of this exercise – exemplifies a longstanding Alliance between the United States and Thailand, and reflects a shared commitment to preserving a peaceful, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific region.

MSC directs and supports operations for approximately 140 civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships at sea, conduct specialized missions, preposition combat cargo at sea around the world, perform a variety of support services, and move military equipment and supplies to deployed U.S. forces.

MSC Far East supports the U.S. 7th Fleet and ensures approximately 50 ships in the Indo-Pacific Region are manned, trained, and equipped to deliver essential supplies, fuel, cargo, and equipment to warfighters, both at sea and on shore. U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – Digital transformation experts from the Air Force Materiel Command and the Air Force Digital Transformation Office took a significant step toward revolutionizing digital leadership through the Culture-First Leadership Masterclasses at the Digital Transformation Center in Dayton, Ohio Feb. 26 to 28.

The classes are designed to shift the mindset from a traditional review-based acquisition process to a more continuous and collaborative digital culture, by fostering a digital-first approach, streamlining processes, and improving efficiency within the acquisition community.

“These masterclasses were a springboard for our digital transformation journey,” said Lt. Col. Ryan Pospisal, deputy director, AFMC Digital Acceleration Task Force. “A digital-first cultural shift is necessary because it allows organizations to be more agile, adaptable, and innovative by fully embracing digital technologies. The shift enables them to better respond to changing demands, enhance collaboration, and ultimately leads to a competitive edge against our adversaries.”

In addition to group instruction, class participants engaged in hands-on learning through small group activities to explore key facets of digital transformation. Breakout stations provided an immersive experience in emerging technologies and collaborative methodologies, showcasing:

•DTO LaunchPad – An application designed to enable a more interconnected and cooperative workforce.

•Air Force Institute of Technology’s Digital Innovation and Integration Center of Excellence – Emphasized the role of education, research, and technology transfer in digital integration.

•Industry Association Consortia and Digital Acceleration Consortia – Demonstrated the power of industry and academia collaborations to build a consolidated digital ecosystem.

•Wingman Chat AI Capability – Highlighted the potential of artificial intelligence and large language models to enhance Air Force operations.

•DTO Workshops – Practical tools and strategies for effective digital transformation.

•Digital Maturity Assessments and the Digital Enterprise Launch Team for Acquisition Station – Offered insights on navigating acquisition complexities in the digital age.

“My big takeaways were that culture can be designed, and all transformation begins with a shift in beliefs,” said Mark Mueller, Sentinel digital ecosystem architecture lead, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center.

“Culture is the biggest barrier we face in bringing about digital transformation, which we can overcome if we deliberately design the culture we want to have and change people’s beliefs about digital transformation.”

The DTC was the perfect environment to host these classes as the facility has top-tier digital tools, collaborative spaces, and innovative programming. Powered by the University of Dayton Research Institute, the DTC serves as a dynamic hub where Wright-Patterson AFB personnel, industry leaders, and academia can collaborate to drive digital advancements. The center is a playground for creativity, enabling the transformation of forward-thinking ideas into actionable solutions.

By bringing together experts and fostering a culture of continuous digital collaboration, AFMC is paving the way for a more agile, innovative, and tech-savvy Air Force.

“Embracing digital transformation isn’t just about technology—it’s about creating a mindset of innovation, collaboration, and adaptability that will define the future of the Air Force,” Pospisal said.

CAMP BLAZ, Guam — Local National Guard members serving with Task Force Talon were honored Tuesday as Guam’s top volunteer organization, recognized for their efforts to restore and maintain public spaces across the island following last year’s devastating Typhoon Mawar.

Soldiers from Task Force Talon were recognized with Certificates of Appreciation for the unit’s volunteer efforts during a ceremony at the Guam governor’s office. Task Force Talon’s community service program is spearheaded by Team Kulepbla, soldiers from the Guam Army National Guard attached to Task Force Talon for a one-year tour of duty. Task Force Talon is the Army unit that provides ballistic missile defense for Guam and includes a Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Battery, a Signal Detachment, a Headquarters Platoon and the Security Force Company, Team Kulepbla. Soldiers from the task force have assisted with grounds maintenance, painting and waste removal for 10 public schools and two public parks.

During the Feb. 21, 2025, ceremony, Lt. Gov. Joshua Tenorio presented the certificates on behalf of Gov. Lourdes Leon-Guerrero. Christopher Flores, who oversees the Island Beautification Task Force with the lieutenant governor, recognized Task Force Talon as the top volunteer organization on the island. 1st Sgt. Philip Biacan, the senior enlisted leader of Team Kulepbla, said, “Part of our commitment as soldiers who live local is to ensure that the community recognizes that soldiers are vested in supporting and defending not only the assets within military installations but also the most important asset outside the installation – the community.”

In May 2023, Typhoon Mawar struck the island, causing severe damage and leaving debris in Guam’s schools and public parks. Many of Team Kulepbla’s soldiers have children who attend Guam’s public schools, inspiring them to volunteer by assisting the government’s Island Beautification Task Force with school cleanups. Each month, Task Force Talon soldiers help support two volunteer events across the island.

Sgt. Janet Cruz, a soldier from Team Kulepbla who has been engaged in these community service activities, has children attending Guam’s public schools. “These community and school cleanups mean a lot because they ensure a cleaner and safer environment for our children and the community. It also makes us, as parents, proud to be a part of these efforts,” Cruz said.

Lt. Col. Jonathan Stafford, commander of Task Force Talon, remarked, “There is the local Chamorro saying on Guam of Inafa’Maolek. This saying essentially means ‘Let’s do good together as a community.’ I think this best describes what our Task Force Talon soldiers have done by partnering with local schools and the governor’s office to make a difference in local communities. They truly represent that Inafa’Maolek spirit that makes Guam so great.”

(U.S. Army story courtesy of 2nd Lt. Rico Chaco)