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141st Air Refueling Wing Air Staff participated in a five-day Joint Force Headquarters/Joint Task Force (JFHQ/JTF) Staff training and exercise, led by Northern Command personnel during drill on February 2, 2025, at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington. This training enhanced personnel capabilities and increased readiness for generating real world joint missions. The 141st ARW is the first wing to receive the training and is one of eight selected Air National Guard wings to establish a pioneering “beta” A-Staff configuration. The training enables the Wing to facilitate seamless transitions for Airmen deploying to joint operational environments. The A-Staff is modeled after the Department of Defense’s J-Staff structure, which serves as the uniformed advisory group to the Chief of Staff. The J-Staff supports the Chief’s role as a military advisor to the Secretary of the Air Force and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “Joint is spelled capital ‘A’- rmy,” said JFHQ/JTF Staff Training instructor, retired New York Air National Guard Col. Dr. Steven Fukino, emphasizing the importance of understanding Army terminology and organizational structure. This required A-Staff Airmen to shift their way of thinking, as most have limited experience in joint operations. On the third day of training, the group transitioned to an exercise in which the A/J Staff applied their newly acquired knowledge to generate tangible, real-world products. “The goal is to integrate seamlessly into the ‘Unity of Effort’ by utilizing resources, thinking, planning, and becoming aware of your limitations,” said Fukino, discussing the joint mission landscape. “Realizing what you know—and more importantly, what you don’t know.” The training and exercise concluded with a commander’s brief, presented by the A/J-Staff on Sunday afternoon. The brief showcased learned competencies and demonstrated the team’s ability to apply trained thinking in a J-Staff context. “Our mission and the purpose of preparing this brief is to get us all thinking about the plan,” said 141st ARW A-Staff Deputy Chief of Staff, Lt. Col. Zac Wagner. “The process of planning and thinking is what will lead us to mission success.” The successful completion of this training marked a significant milestone in the 141st ARW’s efforts to enhance its joint operational capabilities. This inaugural training event is expected to be the first in a series of ongoing professional development initiatives designed to further build the A-Staff’s capacity to operate effectively in a joint environment.
| Date Taken: | 04.06.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.10.2025 16:03 |
| Story ID: | 499997 |
| Location: | FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, WASHINGTON, US |
| Hometown: | FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 14 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, A-Staff; Northern Command Facilitates 5-Day Exercise for 141st Air Staff, by SSgt Holly Hansen, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
