JUNE 24, 2026 – Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson’s strength and conditioning program continues to help Airmen and Soldiers improve mission performance through fitness coaching and education while contributing to the installation’s recent recognition as the 2025 Department of the Air Force Fitness and Sports Program of the Year for Region 2.
Tony Mason, the installation fitness and sports program manager, said the award reflects the combined efforts of fitness center staff, military members and installation leadership.
“Our motto here has always been to exceed customers’ expectations,” Mason said. “We have strong managers, active-duty military members and fellow civilians on our team, and support from our leadership. When you have that support and a team focused on serving the JBER community, that’s the foundation.”
Established in 2016, the program provides active-duty service members with customized training plans, instructor-led group workouts and unit-focused physical training sessions designed to improve operational readiness.
“Our main objective is occupational performance and mission readiness,” said Reilly Kelleher, a JBER strength and conditioning coach. “We’re not necessarily training for bodybuilding or things like that. We want to make you better for your job. We want to give you more energy to do your job and have longer durability in your career.”
The program offers open training sessions, personalized fitness programming, and reservation-based group training for units across the installation. Training is tailored to individual fitness levels, mission requirements and specific military objectives, such as preparing for professional military education courses, specialized schools or deployment-related tasks. Kelleher said the program focuses on developing well-rounded tactical athletes rather than helping members prepare solely for fitness assessments.
“We’re creating educated tactical professionals through practical application, not PowerPoint presentations,” Kelleher said.
In addition to improving strength, endurance and mobility, the program emphasizes injury prevention and long-term health. According to program staff, proper training and movement education help reduce preventable injuries and keep service members available for training and operations.
“One of our biggest goals is helping service members stay in the fight by reducing preventable injuries and improving long-term durability,” Kelleher said.
The program is open to active-duty members across JBER, making it one of the few installation-level human performance programs in the Air Force that supports both services.
“Different units have different physical demands,” Kelleher said. “Programs are tailored to mission sets, experience levels and operational schedules.”
JBER’s emphasis on fitness, lethality and readiness recently earned the installation the 2025 Department of the Air Force Fitness and Sports Program of the Year Award for Region 2, which includes 39 installations. JBER was selected from finalists that included Yokota Air Base and Misawa Air Base, Japan.
While the program supports military members, JBER’s fitness facilities support not only active-duty personnel but also families, retirees and civilians who contribute to the installation’s mission.
“We know readiness is the key,” Mason said. “We take care of our active-duty members and help keep them fit to fight, but we also support the broader JBER community. We touch everybody’s lives in some way, and that’s why these programs are important.”
As JBER continues to prioritize Ready Airmen and Soldiers, Ready Base and Ready Community initiatives, leaders say the strength and conditioning program remains a critical tool for building a healthier, more resilient and mission-ready force.
By Senior Airman Hunter Hites
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Public Affairs