The F-35A Lightning II revolutionized the whole method by which the Air Force remains combat-ready. Take Hill Air Force Base’s 388th and 419th Fighter Wings, and you’ll discover they’ve been at the forefront—beyond rotations and by-the-numbers rotations to a new level of agility, flexibility, and swagger.
Most dramatically changed is with Agile Combat Employment, or ACE. Those were the old days, with their great deployments and great support troops and what appeared to be unlimited lines of supply. The new one is mobility and ambiguity. Picture little, light forces packing up their gear on a C-17, dropping it on some forsaken airfield, and consuming just enough fuel, guns, and equipment to fuel planes.
As Lt. Col. Aaron Cavazos of the 34th Fighter Squadron succinctly characterized it, there was once a nice way of sitting around for six months. No more with an active system in which everybody is on their toes. Drills at Mountain Home Air Force Base had determined that with cross-trained Airmen, you don’t need an army of specialists to generate sorties. Master Sgt. Jonathan Whelan explained the “Core 54” concept—weapons techs, avionics specialists, and crew chiefs cross-train one another, trade jobs—smaller footprint, but more efficient.
It ain’t technology or tactics; it’s the people who drive ’em. Active duty and reserve integration has built a real Total Force relationship at Hill. Combined, the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings operate 78 F-35As with full-time and part-time Airmen.
As 419th Capt. Matt Fritz would refer, Reserve pilots and stand-by crew prepared themselves to be ready for the day that the nation calls on them, all of them learning and adapting with each mission. What this is describing is that when those wings unfold to fly to Europe, the Pacific, or the Middle East, they have a foundation of stability but a new vision.
In its flight, the F-35A was more than an American presence. When planes came to land to arrive at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany, their presence reaffirmed NATO’s defense posture. It wasn’t about conducting missions; it was about putting installation and coordination with allies into place. Europeans showed how the missions promote interoperability and illustrate the kind of solidarity that can’t readily be replicated by adversaries.
At the home station, training accelerated and became more complex. Exercises like Sentry Savannah and Bamboo Eagle push Airmen to accomplish more than they can, from air operations in bad weather to aerial engagements with simulated near-peer opponents. The Multi-Capable Airmen (MCA) program is the linchpin of all this change.
Instead of being specialists, the Airmen are now jet refuelers, ammunition loaders, and maintenance support airmen with a range of specialties. Senior Master Sgt. Jake Lewis detailed how that cross-training breeds confidence and enables small units to remain productive in the resource-constrained, forward-deployed environment.
The F-35A penetration’s scope goes far beyond the Air Force. Local communities, like Fort Smith, Arkansas, already are experiencing the dividend as new foreign partner training missions translate to jobs, investment, and cultural exchange. Billions of dollars’ worth of economic impact are expected by local leaders, but no less significant are the long-term relationships being forged as partners come together and train on US soil.
Last, the F-35A is a fighter, but one that is changing training, deployment, and combat for wings. Agile Combat Employment, Total Force, multinational deployability, and cross-trained Airmen all drive us toward an era in which tempo and velocity are as important as firepower.
The 388th and 419th Fighter Wings have shown in practice what that will look like: unconventional, adaptable, and prepared to meet whatever the future holds. This is the look of air warfare today: a fast, integrated, and constantly trying to stay one jump ahead.