Photo By Julian Hernandez | Lt. Col. Christopher Jones (left), 356th Airlift Squadron commander and a C-5 instructor pilot, and Maj. Ben Ernst (right), a 68th Airlift Squadron pilot, taxi a 433rd Airlift Wing C-5M Super Galaxy during Exercise Southern Star ‘25 at Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport in Santiago, Chile, June 3, 2025. Southern Star ‘25 is a multinational special operations exercise taking place across Chile from May 26 to June 8, uniting forces from six nations and 10 observing countries, totaling over 2700 participants to enhance interoperability and strengthen global SOF partnerships through joint training from as far north as Antofagasta to the southern region of Punta Arenas. (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) see less
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Exercise Southern Star ‘25 has provided 433rd Airlift Wing Citizen Airmen with numerous opportunities to hone the skills they regularly train on at home station. In response to the dynamic airlift requirements of the exercise, Alamo Wing Citizen Airmen from operations and maintenance specialties have been called upon to apply their expertise in rapidly evolving conditions.
Aircrews have been executing engine-running onloads and offloads (EROs) to move cargo and personnel as efficiently as possible. EROs also reduce the amount of time the C-5M Super Galaxy spends on the ground, a critical consideration in potentially hostile environments.
For Maj. Ben Ernst, a 68th Airlift Squadron pilot, Southern Star represents a special milestone: his first landing away from Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland since graduating from the C-5M Super Galaxy formal training unit hosted by the Alamo Wing.
