Senior leaders from the 23rd Wing hosted an expert from the China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI) at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, March 22, 2024, in preparation for an upcoming readiness exercise designed to test the wing’s capability to deploy under the new Air Forces Force Generation model.

Lt. Col. Dustin Burleson, CASI deputy director, spoke to Moody’s exercise participants to advance their understanding of the strategy, doctrine, operating concepts, capabilities, personnel, training, and organization of China’s aerospace forces and the civilian and commercial infrastructure that supports them.

“We want our Airmen to care about the world, because we could be tasked to deploy anywhere in the world,” said Maj. Nicholas McCrabb, 23rd Wing director of intelligence. “We’re the 23rd Wing, and we’re trying to get after those objectives in unique ways by having guest speakers come out and doing exercises that are relevant to goals set by (Air Force leaders).”

Although the briefing information is readily available as open-source material, accessible to anyone through online search engines, the expert-led briefing played a crucial role in preparing the attendees' mindset before the readiness exercise, thereby fostering the appropriate mental framework to optimize the buildup to the exercise 

Exercise Ready Tiger 24-1, is happening at Moody and contingency locations across Georgia and Florida, further hones the Air Force’s top priorities of generating airpower at austere locations downrange while maintaining command and control in contested environments. 

It is essential to acknowledge the potential challenges posed by imagining or simulating potential conflicts. Moody leaders recognize the imperative for the wing to actively seek and implement adaptive basing concepts, understanding the necessity for preparedness and flexibility in current operational environments.

Exercises, like Ready Tiger, are building upon the efforts of past exercises by providing additional repetitions for Airmen to test communication and logistics capabilities amid challenging circumstances and to put into practice Agile Combat Employment (ACE) tactics for rapid movement of small, lethal forces. 

“So, the ability for us to show up in a location, do our mission quickly, gather everything up and get out is extremely important,” said Burleson.

For more information about Exercise Ready Tiger, tune in to https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/23WPA between April 8-19, 2024. At that site, interested viewers can also view other work 23rd Wing Airmen do to maintain their combat edge.