Subscribe
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. – The 355th Contracting Squadron hosted the 2025 Iron Resolve exercise, a multi-base, multi-day training event designed to test and refine the capabilities of contingency contracting officers at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, April 15 - 17, 2025.
Seventy-six acquisition professionals from the U.S. Air Force and Army participated in the exercise, which simulated operations in a deployed joint environment. The field exercise emphasized Agile Combat Employment and hub-and-spoke concepts while fostering joint integration with partners from the U.S. Army’s 925th Contracting Battalion.
“This exercise is unique in scope and scale for the Continental U.S,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Thomas Maloney, 355th Contracting Squadron commander. “It’s likely one of the most robust contracting field exercises in the Air Force.”
Participants included Davis-Monthan’s 355th Comptroller, 355th Contracting Squadrons, Luke Air Force Base’s 56th Contracting and 56th Comptroller Squadrons, Holloman Air Force Base’s 49th Contracting and 49th Comptroller Squadrons, and joint partners from Fort Drum’s 925th Contracting Battalion, and the Mission and Installation Contracting Command. The teams performed in strict conditions, living and working in tents while responding to over 60 unique scenarios, crafted to simulate the stress and complexity of combat support in a deployed environment.
“Our career field has an annual requirement to execute a contingency contracting exercise,” Maloney said. “Some units do tabletop-only training, but we go full throttle. We want our Airmen to know how to land in an austere environment, set up shop and provide real-time support for air operations.”
The three-day event was the culmination of eleven hours of academic instruction and five months of planning. Seven contracting teams and three finance teams operated independently to provide rapid acquisition solutions for base operations, simulating initial and sustained operations under combat conditions. Training included operating in mission oriented protective posture gear and executing tactical combat casualty care.
“This was advanced training,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Natalie Bernal, 355th Contracting Squadron exercise lead. “We’re not teaching people how to do contracting; we’re preparing them to think on their feet and execute in the chaos of contingency operations.”
Bernal developed the exercise schedule and coordinated the scenarios and support from across DM. Seventeen cadre members facilitated scenarios to test participant decision-making and resource management in a high-pressure environment.
“The scenarios escalate over the days,” Bernal said. “We deliberately introduce chaos to build critical thinking and help Airmen understand the tools they have at their disposal. The goal is for them to be confident when they deploy.”
A majority of the contracting participants had fewer than two years of experience, which made the exercise an important learning experience for the next generation of contracting Airmen.
“It’s one thing to train at a desk, it’s another to do it in a field tent with limited resources and no access to normal systems,” Maloney said. “This exercise gets them uncomfortable and forces creativity and teamwork.”
Behind the scenes, success depended on broad support from the base. The 355th Civil Engineer Squadron provided tents, power and HVAC; the 355th Medical Group supplied water and medical support; the 355th Logistics Readiness Squadron and 355th Force
Support Squadron delivered vehicles and personnel; and the 55th and 48th Rescue Squadrons contributed role players and scenarios.
“The entire base came together,” Bernal said. “This was a total team effort, and we couldn’t have done it without the support of our Mission Support Group partners.”
| Date Taken: | 05.15.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.15.2025 16:06 |
| Story ID: | 498115 |
| Location: | DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 19 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, DM hosts Annual Contracting Contingency Officer exercise, by Amn Jaden Kidd, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
