KEY FIELD AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Miss. -- The 186th Air Refueling Wing (ARW) wrapped up participation in a fighter exercise, Sentry Aloha 24-2, June 12, 2024, at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
This National Guard Bureau training event brought together more than 1,000 participants from the U.S. and provided essential combat training. The 186th ARW actively participated in the joint force exercise, Sentry Aloha, which holds immense significance in bolstering the Air National Guard’s aircraft readiness against near peer threats. This joint exercise seamlessly integrated the efforts of Active Duty, Coalition, Reserves, and Guard units, resulting in a synergistic and formidable air dominance capability.
“This was a guard sponsored exercise to improve the Air National Guard forces to allow us to work together with our newest fighter aircraft,” said Lt. Col. Brad Anthony, 153rd Air Refueling Squadron (ARS) Instructor Pilot.
The 186th ARW’s refueling capacity is extremely vital in exercises like these.
“The fighters won’t be able to go very far without us; we are the link that ties all of that together,” Anthony said. “They are on the frontline, but we are the ones that get them to the frontline. We allow them to employ weapons; we give them that capability.”
Throughout the exercise, our dedicated KC-135 aircraft completed 12 sorties, effectively offloading over 436,000 pounds of fuel. Providing support to various fighter aircraft, we facilitated their training and helped their ability to maintain air superiority, all while employing advanced technologies and tactics in a challenging operational environment.
“As a boom operator, the significance that we bring to these exercises is that we’re able to stay in the fight longer,” said Master Sgt. Nick Moore, 186th ARW In-Flight Refueling Technician. “This exercise allows us to work together as a whole and gives us an advantage of being able to see what our counterparts are doing and work with other people that we don’t normally get to work with.”
The 186th Air Refueling Wing provides 1,100 personnel and eight KC-135R aircraft to Air Mobility Command for worldwide operations. Additional units at Key Field include the 238th Air Support Operations Squadron, the 248th Air Traffic Control Squadron, and the 186th Air Operations Group.