Photo By Master Sgt. Christopher Schepers | Airmen assigned to the 175th Wing, Maryland Air National Guard, construct a small...... read more read more
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MIDDLE RIVER, Md. - Members from the 175th Wing participated in a wing-wide combat readiness exercise at Warfield Air National Guard Base at Martin State Airport and extended to multiple locations on the East Coast, April 1-11, 2025.
Operation Wolverine Strike tested the 175th Wing’s ability to adapt and respond to scenarios resulting from a simulated near-peer conflict, focusing on mission-critical tasks in a contested environment. All training activities were observed by unit subject matter experts and the inspector general’s office, which provided feedback to leaders and participants.
“Every training mission we conduct is a vital step in ensuring we remain ready for any challenge that may come our way,” said Maryland Air National Guard Brig. Gen. Richard Hunt, 175th Wing commander. “Exercises like this are the foundation of our success - building trust, enhancing coordination and perfecting our response times.”
The 175th Wing deployed Airmen to three locations — Savannah, Georgia; Badin, North Carolina; and Fort Meade, Maryland — to train on establishing and sustaining forward operating airbases. Martin State Airport served as the main operating base, supporting the simulated combat force elements throughout the exercise.
The training mirrored what Airmen would encounter in real-world deployment conditions. Airmen from across the wing including leadership, civil engineers, medical personnel, logistics and numerous support functions carried out their duties while responding to simulated attacks that required them to don protective equipment and take the necessary steps to ensure a safe operational environment.
“It’s important to assess how well we do in these types of scenarios so we can figure out ways to improve,” said Maryland Air National Guard Capt. Casey Smith, 175th Wing chief of plans and exercises. “This informs what additional training we can execute so that we can become better as a unit. We can learn how to create better scenarios that help us test, train and evaluate our members.”
The exercise kicked off on April 1st continuing throughout the week as the 175th Wing made preparations to emplace members at forward operating locations. Members from the 175th Security Forces Squadron, 175th Civil Engineer Squadron, 175th Services Flight and the contracting office deployed to Badin via two CH-47 Chinook helicopters assigned to the 29th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade. Members from the 175th Operations Group and the 175th Maintenance Group were transported to Savannah by a C-17 Globemaster III assigned to the 164th Airlift Wing, Tennessee Air National Guard. The 175th Cyberspace Operations Group (COG) prepared members to position members at Ft. Meade.
From April 5-6, the exercise continued throughout the regularly scheduled drill weekend, where members employed and maintained mission essential tasks under assigned threat environment levels from the main operating base at Martin State Airport and the forward operating locations in Badin, Savannah, and Ft. Meade.
While employment and sustainment operations culminated for members at Martin State Airport, Badin and Ft. Meade on April 6, the 175th Operations Group, 175th Maintenance Group and 175th Fire Department remained at Savannah until April 11 for continuation training and assessment.
Over the course of the 11-day exercise, Airmen responded to various types of organized problem sets simulating real-world events, emphasizing agile combat employment (ACE) tactics and operations and demonstrating their abilities to conduct ACE from austere locations. Airmen stationed at Martin State Airport responded to various scenarios, including simulated chemical attacks, network outages, and force protection events such as auto accidents, unauthorized entries, and active shooters.
Airmen emplaced at Ft. Meade worked to keep networks operational and conducted defensive cyber operations against simulated adversaries, while Airmen deployed to Badin worked to erect small shelter systems, establish security forces perimeter, and respond to chemical attacks and ground force insurgent attacks.
In Savannah, Airmen participated in operations in support of maritime surface warfare and close air support exercises with A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft assigned to the 104th Fighter Squadron. The exercise aimed to prepare Airmen for future deployments, ensuring they can execute missions under high-risk conditions with minimal exposure.
“The benefit of having multiple forward operating locations is that it helps us maintain a posture of flexibility and adaptability so that we’re ready to deploy forces to provide air support and maintain security,” said Maryland Air National Guard Master Sgt. Wesley Diefenbach, 175th Civil Engineer Squadron structures non-commissioned officer in charge. “Exercises like this challenge Airmen to step out of their comfort zone and work with other squadrons and personnel that they don’t typically work with to put their skills and capabilities to the test.”
At the conclusion of the exercise, the wing inspection team and inspector general’s office met with wing leadership to discuss the results of the exercise and lessons learned over the week-long exercise.
“I’ve seen a lot of success in our responses, especially at the tactical level,” said Smith. “We had very fast response times, showcasing the strength of our training and our ability to adapt quickly under pressure.”
| Date Taken: | 04.16.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.16.2025 10:23 |
| Story ID: | 495421 |
| Location: | MIDDLE RIVER, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 116 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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