Key Field Air National Guard Base, Miss. -- 500 service members from U.S. military active, guard, and reserve components participated in Sentry South-Southern Strike, a combat training exercise, hosted annually in Mississippi at the Combat Readiness Training Center and Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center.
Southern Strike is a joint military partnership with the objective of strengthening contingency response operations, agile combat employment, aeromedical evacuation, air refueling, and aerial and ground transport.
Airmen from the 186th Air Refueling Wing, Operations Group supported the joint training efforts by providing in-flight refueling of aircraft from other participating units.
“Participating in Southern Strike was an incredible opportunity to sharpen my skills and collaborate with diverse units across the Air Force and Allied Forces. The high-intensity training environment pushes us to work together seamlessly, adapt quickly, and ensure we are always mission ready. It was an honor to support such an important exercise, and it reaffirmed just how vital teamwork and precision are in ensuring success on any deployment,” said Maj. Daniel Cruz, a KC-135 pilot assigned to the 153rd Air Refueling Wing.
Teamwork is a large part of Southern Strike and being able to work cooperatively with partner forces is valuable to mission preparedness. Joint exercises offer branches the opportunity to build relationships and learn how to function together to achieve objectives.
“Being able to participate in the Southern Strike exercise is always a great opportunity. During this year’s exercise I was able to instruct a student in their initial training phase, on what aerial refueling is like in a deployed location. As a Boom Operator instructor, using all resources available to teach students is pivotal to their growth and success in this career field. The training exercise environment allows us to learn to work through challenges, many of which may not be encountered during normal flying operations,” said Tech. Sgt. Matt Hall.