COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- The 14th Flying Training Wing recently held a combat readiness exercise designed to test the deployment readiness and supporting infrastructure of the installation to support wartime operations from Feb. 18-20, 2025, at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi.
The three-day training exercise focused on a rapid surge of deployable forces to support combatant commanders in a remote overseas location, to include, medical readiness, logistics coordination, emergency response and home station mission resilience with reduced resources.
“In this period of institutional change, Columbus AFB must remain focused on sharpening the skills required to win the high-end fight,” said Col. James Blech, 14th Flying Training Wing commander. “From 18-20 February, we exercised our ability to ‘fight the base’ by simulating a max-deployment scenario followed by a simulated cyber-attack. My direction to the wing was to work through the challenges caused by workforce shortfalls and the lack of connectivity, all while executing the full flying schedule. In this way, our Airmen demonstrated operational readiness and adaptability; key components of our 14 FTW winning strategy.”
Ensuring deployable forces meet health requirements is the responsibility of the 14th Medical Group. The 14 MDG screened deploying personnel for medical issues such as immunizations, physical limitation profiles and completion of preventative health measures.
"Medical readiness of deployable forces is not just about having bandages and antibiotics on hand, it's a critical element that underpins the success of any military operation and impacts the lives of service members long after deployment,” said Lt. Col. Sean Finney, 14th Healthcare Operations Squadron commander. “It's a strategic imperative that directly impacts military effectiveness, the lives of service members, and a nation's ability to achieve its security objectives. Investing in robust medical preparedness is crucial for ensuring a healthy and capable fighting force.”
In addition to ensuring Airmen are healthy and ready to deploy, phase one of the exercise also tested the 14th Logistics Readiness Squadron’s ability to quickly prepare equipment and materials to deploy with the Airmen.
“The LRS and FSS (14th Force Support Squadron) have a critical function in ensuring our personnel are ready and able to deploy en-masse,” said Maj. Kelly Myers, 14th Logistics Readiness Squadron commander. “The CRE showed the team that we can provide capabilities as well as any other operational Wing.”
Logistics also ensures that transport aircraft, supply chains and mobility assets are ready to support rapid deployments worldwide.
“The timeline was tight on purpose and intended to stress how well the FSS and LRS could perform a mass deployment with little notice,” said Myers. “The team adeptly built CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear) bags, palletized cargo and prepared personnel for airlift.”
By operating under compressed timelines, Airmen were challenged to execute deployment tasks efficiently and effectively. Col. Scott Ryder, 14th Mission Support Group commander, emphasized that this type of training is essential for preparing teams to navigate the unpredictable nature of real-world combat scenarios.
“Flexing these training muscles is critical because real-world combat scenarios rarely unfold under ideal circumstances,” said Ryder. “By exposing our teams to degraded environments, we reinforce problem-solving, adaptability and mission continuity under pressure. This ensures that -- when faced with actual threats -- our Airmen can respond decisively and effectively to sustain operational capabilities and protect both personnel and assets.”
Building on this emphasis of adaptability, Col. Nicholas Lofthouse, 14th Operations Group commander, highlighted how these training exercises extend beyond technical proficiency to develop the problem-solving and resilience required in complex operational environments.
"We train world class pilots; this means more than just ‘stick and rudder’ skills, being a world class pilot or combat-ready Airman means being able to adapt to situations, solve problems in real time, and overcome obstacles to accomplish the mission," said Lofthouse. "CREs are meant to challenge our operational resiliency by testing how we would adapt to various constraints, limitations or other friction points; including, degraded communications – both internet and cellular, manpower limitations, deployers vacating positions at home station, power outages, severe weather and damage to the airfield or threats to base security.”
Lofthouse emphasized the importance of developing combat readiness skill sets during training exercises.
“We’re not just training pilots… we’re developing leaders across all Air Force Specialty Codes and ranks to be able to address complexity and challenges head on, and continue the mission,” said Lofthouse.
The combat readiness exercise provided 14 FTW leadership with critical insights into several important areas, such as; training, mission sustainability, personnel and unit readiness, contingency planning and the 14 FTW’s ability to rapidly shift focus to meet potential challenges of degraded and or contested environments.
“Our 14 FTW mission is to Train World Class Pilots, which is today, and will continue to be, a critical contributor to the Joint Fight,” said Blech. “We must exercise our capability to both deploy forces in support of a combatant commander while also surging our in-garrison training in a contested environment.”