LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. – Members of the 56th Equipment Maintenance Squadron took part in an Air Force Combat Operations training event August 11, 2022. Officials designed the training to test and help prepare munition systems technicians for an upcoming high-intensity competition.
Eight Air Force munitions teams from across the Air Force will compete for four days in Volk Field, Wisconsin in multiple munitions-themed events, including installing bomb fuses, airfoil groups, and other components into 500-to-2,000-pound bombs, to determine AMMO's most combat-ready Airmen.
“The overall goal of the competition is to become stronger as AMMO,” said Tech Sgt. Lewis Hudgings, 56th Equipment Maintenance Squadron munition systems technician. “It’s designed to broaden our training and make us better AMMO troops, so that way, if and when we deploy, we are ready, prepped with the experience and knowledge, to handle business.”
“AFCOCOMP was created to synergize AMMO readiness training efforts across the globe,” said Master Sgt. David Walker, 56th Equipment Maintenance Squadron assistant section chief. “The overall objective is to increase combat readiness throughout the career field by having home units reinforce training and best practices through the spirit of competition.”
To claim the title of the "Best of the Best," units will need to train harder than ever.
“The increased training will continue to boost our career field's readiness,” said Hudgings. “All the while bringing the AMMO community closer together.”
Regardless of who’s crowned, the goal of the competition is to increase readiness and create a more lethal force.