HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- Airmen with the 419th Fighter Wing participated in a wing-wide exercise, on May 2, 2025, to May 6, 2025, as part of their annual training.
The exercise simulated a deployment from Hill AFB under contested conditions which required Airmen to innovate and adapt to meet the mission requirements under unpredictable circumstances. The exercise scenarios were designed to replicate a rapidly changing environment where normal systems may have been compromised or be completely unavailable.
Airmen were processed for a simulated, short-notice deployment while facing kinetic and non-kinetic threats in real-time. Among many other distractions, a simulated active shooter disrupted medical processing, a simulated drone incursion disrupted maintenance operations, and a simulated gate incident threatened base access for personnel arriving to report for duty.
Reservists from each squadron had to work together to fill in the gaps created by those disruptions and ensure that the wing would still meet its deployment timelines. Airmen learned how to step in where needed, even when the job that needed to be done fell outside of their regular duties and comfort zone.
The emphasis on inter-squadron teamwork differentiated this exercise from previous exercises conducted by the 419th because it required Airmen from different squadrons to work together rather than operating independently. Col. Ronald J. Sloma, Commander 419th Fighter Wing, compares preparing the wing for deployment to getting a football team ready for a championship game.
“The 419th Fighter Wing is a team,” said Sloma, “To win, we have to continually come together and practice together. That way, when the football is on the ground, any Airman can pick it up and run it to the end zone.”
Exercises like Griffin’s Edge ensure that Airmen from the 419th Fighter Wing are ready at a moment’s notice to execute their mission, to deploy combat-ready citizen Airmen wherever and whenever they needed.
Staff Sgt. Graciela Gomez, Tech Sgt. Patrick Alderson, and Staff Sgt Rachel McKinney perform a sweep outside a building during a simulated active shooter scenario during an exercise at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, May 6, 2025. The exercise trained Airmen to respond to incidents and work together while operating in contested environments. Reservists train one weekend a month and two weeks a year to prepare to deploy at a moment’s notice. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kayla Barker)