PEASE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.H. -- Tech. Sgt. Robert Crewell, an airfield manager with Pease’s 64th Air Refueling Squadron, traveled to Spokane, Wash., Sept. 8-28, to participate in Mobility Guardian 2019.
During the exercise, Crewell joined a team of 14 other airfield managers to oversee the flying schedule for the U.S. Air Force’s largest air mobility exercise.
Hosted by the 92nd and 141st Air Refueling Wings, and sponsored by Air Mobility Command, Mobility Guardian is an annual exercise providing a realistic training environment for more than 2,500 Airmen, Soldiers and Marines, as well as 32 international allies and partners. The exercise enables services members to maintain a competitive edge in both current and future conflicts.
Crewell said the exercise simulated the aerial resupply of the war front. It presented challenges in each core mission sets – airlift, air refueling, aeromedical evacuation and global air mobility support.
A range of airframes, including the KC-10 Extender, KC-135 Stratotanker, C-5 Super Galaxy, C-17 Globemaster III and C-130H/J Hercules, participated in the training. To accommodate the array of large aircraft, exercise grounds expanded beyond Fairchild Air Force Base to Selah Creek within the Yakima Training Center, Wash.; the Mountain Home Range Complex, Idaho; Moses Lake Grant County Airport and several other training areas in the region.
As an airfield manager, Crewell worked directly with pilots for flight planning. This gave him the opportunity to work one-on-one with aircrews from multiple countries, including Italy, Chile, Australia and the United Arab Emirates.
"It's a great experience that allows you to see how others operate and shows you what you're supporting,” said Crewell. “It's hard to see that in normal day-to-day operations, but this shows the big picture.”