Let’s talk about the F-35A Lightning II—the plane that is essentially the Beyoncé of the U.S. Air Force. If you’ve been keeping up with the soap opera of the Hill Air Force Base’s 388th and 419th Fighter Wings, you’ll see that these individuals have been rewriting the rulebook on being combat-ready. So long to normal deployments and policy-by-the-book; hello to flair, flexibility, and pace.
Agile Combat Employment, or ACE, is the buzzword at fighter wing planning. Picture this: Airmen stacking their gear, stacking onto a C-17, and landing at untested airfields with so much equipment to fuel, to arm, and to tow their jets—no large support convoys, no long lines of equipment. The. old routine of “show up in-country, do the same drill day-in and day-out, six months, and return home” no longer cuts it, says Lt. Col. Aaron Cavazos, 34th Fighter Squadron commander.
Uncertainty is the name of the game today, and training in this manner at Mt. Home Air Force Base has demonstrated that a lean, cross-trained crew can turn aircraft around and repair them with fewer personnel. Master Sgt. Jonathan Whelan discussed the “Core 54” concept, which involved pairing gunners and avionics technicians with crew chiefs in a smaller squadron size, making the unit more responsive.
It ain’t the tactics or the tech—it’s the folks. The way that the active component and the reserve component have blended has produced a Total Force partnership that is more than just a commitment. The 388th and 419th Fighter Wings at Hill fly and support a fleet of 78 F-35As, bringing the world’s greatest two worlds together. Reserve pilots and maintainers patiently await the day the nation calls and deploy at a moment’s notice, 419th Fighter Wing Commander Col. Matt Fritz said. It’s new school and old school combined that takes it to when the jets are deploying—to the Middle East, Japan, or Germany—they’re exporting the best of both worlds.
Speaking of deployments, the F-35A today is the greatest team player for multilateral operations. When the jets touched down at Germany’s Spangdahlem Air Base, they not only added to American readiness but also each contributed to NATO’s collective defense posture and air integration. Gen. Jeff Harrigian, Commander US Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa, quoted the way the deployments “tremendously enhance our support to NATO’s defenses.” Sorties flown are not all; it is also confidence-building, interoperability, and a sense of shared purpose with the ally and partner nations.
Training has also been significantly enhanced. Drills like Sentry Savannah and Bamboo Eagle challenged Airmen to acquire new skills, from blindingly quick cargo loading to cutting-edge air-to-air combat in near-peer environments in the simulator.
In the middle of the battle is the doctrine of Multi-Capable Airmen (MCA). Instead of being one type of specialist, Airmen are learning to fuel aircraft, load ordnance, and perform maintenance work outside of their lane. Senior Master Sgt. Jake Lewis described how this cross-training creates capability and confidence so the team will respond positively even when they are forward-deployed.
And then there is the local flavor. The ripple effect of these activities by the fighter wing resonates far, far beyond the runway. Foreign partner F-35A flight training missions at bases like Fort Smith, Arkansas, will transform the town and create economic dividends to the tune of a billion dollars per year. Chamber of Commerce President Tim Allen is literally bringing out the red carpet for foreign partners with assurances of having a “fantastic relationship” that will bring cultures together while sustaining local jobs.
So, whether you’re an aviation geek, a fan of military strategy, or just someone who loves a good underdog story, the F-35A Lightning II and its crew are serving up a masterclass in how to stay two steps ahead in the Great Power Competition. Agile, unpredictable, and always ready for the next challenge—this is the future of air combat, and it’s happening right now.