JULY 26, 2022 – The Hawaii Air National Guard recently demonstrated its airlift and controller capabilities in the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s Arctic regional air defense exercise, Amalgam Dart, in Alaska.
The exercise features U.S. Air Force aircraft operating out of the northern region and has included resources from the Hawaii ANG’s 298th Air Defense Group for more than seven years.
This iteration incorporated C-17 Globemaster III support from the 204th Airlift Squadron, which performed a series of maneuvers alongside participating fighter, refueling and command and control aircraft.
Master Sgt. Ei Jung Yiu, 298th ADS exercise planner, has supported exercises for over 20 years and continues advocating for more training opportunities.
“It’s exciting to see how the program has grown for the Hawaii ANG in the past three years,” Yiu said. “I’d like to see the HIANG’s participation expand in the scenario as we are able to secure targets to participate.”
Participation in Amalgam Dart was cost-effective for the Hawaii-based Guard members, providing a contrasting training environment to practice mission-essential competencies.
The airlift professionals capitalized on mountainous low-level flying in an unfamiliar environment while incorporating multi-ship and multi-element airdrops with additional locally stationed C-17s from the 144th and the 517th Airlift Squadrons.
“This was a great opportunity to execute off-station training with our operational staff and crews – something our squadron has wanted to do for years,” said Lt. Col. BlytheJeanne Itoman, 204th Airlift Squadron commander. “Alaska also provided opportunities for combat offloads and assault strip training objectives while testing (Alaska’s) homeland defense response.”
Alaska and Hawaii Globemaster III units share a rescue mission set in support of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Members from both ANG squadrons performed a series of rescue maneuvers, such as search and rescue patterns, airdrops and flare deployments.
To maximize interoperability between units, designated aircraft were supported by hybrid aircrews, support and maintenance personnel.
“This is something we don’t get a chance to do often, but it helps build trust and relationships with those pilots and loadmasters who sometimes assist and help augment our CCP crews for launches,” said Tech. Sgt. Joshua Moracco, 204th AS instructor loadmaster.
Collaborating in realistic exercises enhances interoperability and effectiveness between partnered units.
“Our friends from Alaska, the Alaska ANG and U.S. Air Force helped facilitate excellent training and provided a foundation to learn and build relationships, all critical for mission readiness,” Itoman said. “Thanks to them and the collaborative support of our leadership, we have accomplished training objectives with emphasis on building relationships and unit morale.”
By Master Sgt. Mysti Bicoy
154th Wing Public Affairs – Hawaii Air National Guard