AUGUST 7, 2025 – With jet engines echoing and aircraft arriving and departing, awaiting clearance from the air traffic control tower, one team stood calm, calculated, and precise like a chess player: the 3rd Operations Support Squadron airfield operations team. Their mission-critical coordination ensured the airfield remained a safe and efficient platform for joint force air power.
Much like a chessboard with black and white squares, the 3rd OSS deals with Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska runways, taxiways, and ramps. The players are not pawns or knights, but powerful pieces. The U.S. and Royal Australian Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker, C-5 Galaxy, F-22 Raptor and others fill the JBER flightline. On this board, the airfield operations teams are the unseen grandmasters, calculating, adapting and moving each piece with precision during exercises like Resolute Force Pacific, RED FLAG-Alaska, Bamboo Eagle and Northern Edge.
“Every aircraft, vehicle, crew position, and shift schedule is a ‘piece’ on the board,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Courtney Way, 3rd OSS assistant chief controller. “My role is to anticipate the mission’s needs several steps ahead, position those pieces strategically and maintain enough flexibility to respond to sudden changes. Much like chess, the outcome depends on how well all the pieces — the entire team — work together in concert toward the same objective.”
As hundreds of sorties launched and landed during these exercises, keeping the airfield running smoothly was no small task. Aircraft arrival and departure must be orchestrated with precision, and jets maneuvered into the right parking spots, refueled, reloaded and turned around – all while other aircraft are set to arrive. Behind the scenes, a 62-member team works around the clock to ensure every move across the flightline is deliberate, safe, and mission-focused.
“In chess, your goal is to be strategic and plan out your moves, and that’s the same goal we at airfield management have,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Ashton Williams, 3rd OSS airfield management shift supervisor. “We strategically plan every move to ensure that everything flows together to achieve the desired outcome. Every day on the airfield is different, so our strategy changes, but ultimately, we all must work together and remain flexible to anticipate changes.”
During peak surges, Way said she often plans four to six moves ahead, thinking like a seasoned chess player. This means anticipating aircraft arrival and departure sequences, accounting for possible delays, managing aircrew availability, and ensuring the right personnel are in the right place at the right time.
“This forward thinking isn’t done in isolation,” she added. “It’s informed by constant coordination with my team to keep everyone synchronized. Success ultimately hinges on the seamless integration of our entire team’s efforts — each member contributing their expertise to ensure mission success.”
This proactive approach helps prime JBER for exercises like Arctic Edge, Northern Edge and Red Flag-Alaska. The planning begins with analyzing the full scope of operations, such as the number and type of aircraft, projected sortie rates, airfield driver requirements, customs needs and integration with allied partners. The team then develops plans for parking, flight paths, and a realistic simulator scenario that replicates surge conditions, including hot-pit refueling and increased traffic from diverse airframes. Every detail is considered, from pavement limits, lighting systems, to signage protection and airfield driver certification, all aimed at reducing risk and preventing runway incursion.
“What happens behind the scenes is a highly complex, constantly shifting coordination effort,” Way said. “Every pilot, maintainer, and airfield users have unique needs, and our job is to meet those needs while maintaining the larger operational picture. None of this happens because of one person. It’s the result of skilled professionals working together in perfect alignment.”
In this high-stakes environment, like a real-time chess match, there’s no room for mistakes for the airfield operations team.
“Safety is never negotiable!” Way exclaimed. “Even under high-tempo operations, if a directive risks compromising safety, we intervene immediately. I encourage controllers to prioritize safe operations over compressed timelines. Our ability to meet mission timelines is a direct result of disciplined adherence to safety protocols by the entire team.”
Williams also echoed the sentiment that safety is not an option. If he or his team foresees an event that will compromise safety, they intervene.
“We are trained to be proactive, not reactive,” Williams said. “Safety is the number one thing that we practice, and we don’t compromise on it even during a high-tempo exercise or task saturation. Our ability to adapt to any situation ensures mission safety.”
Just like a seasoned chess player, the airfield operations team makes every move deliberate, calculating each step. In the game of air power, they are the masters of the board where safety is the king and every move truly matters.
Story by Sheila deVera
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson