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CHARLESTON, W.Va - Airmen from the 130th Airlift Wing recently completed an exercise focused on demonstrating the Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment (ACE) and Mission Ready Airman (MRA) concepts through a C-130J remote operations mission.
As part of the Remote Integrated C-130J Omnidomain Operations Program or RICO-OP, a cross-section of Airmen representing different job specialties within the Air Force took part in the multi-phased event designed to test, refine, and strengthen C-130J operations in any environment.
RICO-OP aims to enhance ACE concepts at the 130th Airlift Wing by integrating forces, testing cross-functional capabilities, and simulating complex, dynamic battlespaces. It is a deliberate approach that lays the foundation for future capability building in each phase. In addition, it serves as a test bed for the human element, providing insight into how fatigue, role clarity, logistics and planning affect performance in a sustained, austere environment.
Maj. Suveer “Shake” Shekhawat, a pilot with the 130th Airlift Squadron, led the initiative.
“RICO-OP isn’t just about deploying a remote capability,” Shekhawat said. “It’s about amplifying what makes us unique as a [National] Guard unit—leveraging Mission Ready Airmen and Agile Combat Employment experience and real-world expertise—while building a sustainable, scalable force aligned with Air Mobility Command’s vision.”
Combat support in an ACE environment will rely on small teams of Airmen who are trained in primary and secondary skillsets that complement the requirements of the mission at hand. Whether it be training loadmasters to operate forklifts or maintainers to fuel aircraft, MRA emphasizes a mix of skills that all Airmen need to meet a range of mission demands across the spectrum of conflict.
“While MRA and ACE planning have been going on for years, RICO-OP is giving us a unique opportunity to tailor those frameworks to the strengths of the West Virginia Air National Guard,” Shekhawat continued. “Our members often bring diverse experience both within the wing and from their civilian careers, giving us a broader perspective and creative problem-solving skills. This duality is a key advantage we’re building into our operational model to align with the Air Force’s evolving needs.”
The event, or phase one, culminated with an off-station C-130J flight to Camp Branch, an austere landing strip in southern West Virginia, which tested the unit’s ability to deploy with minimal equipment, establish communications in a remote location with home station, mission plan, and redeploy. In their phase two training, members will focus on long-duration mission support, resilience of fly away kits, and sustainment of personnel and equipment.
“No longer can we rely on the methods we have used in the past to prepare, train and evaluate our forces for complex missions,” stated Col Bryan Preece, commander of the 130th Airlift Wing. “The future of warfare demands that we seek every opportunity to hone our craft, develop mission ready Airmen and be ready to go at any point. I’m extremely proud of the initiative and innovation shown by these Airmen to demonstrate lethality as we prepare for threats in great power competition.”
MSgt Calib Hartline, a maintainer with the 130th Maintenance Squadron who served as an evaluate for the event, stated that the operation was a success.
“I felt like this was a huge win with the maintenance squadron being able to assemble a small team with essential items to go to a place they have never been to work in an austere environment,” he said. “We have been working on the MRA concept in maintenance for a little over a year now and RICO-OP was the perfect opportunity to put the hard work and training that the members have been going through to the test.”
Hartline also stated that the maintenance personnel are interested in more opportunities for these types of events, to include longer flights to more austere locations to test the knowledge, skills, and abilities.
“The RICO-OP is the best way for our Airmen to be ready for this change in operations so when the time does come for our people to engage in austere and hostile combat, they will already be used to the conditions and be able to solely be focused on the mission at hand,” he said.
According to Shekhawat, the event was a success and accomplished the goals he originally set out to achieve.
“It was a huge milestone to see the fruits of our labor come to life in this first exercise,” he said. “The kits we built are already being used on real-world missions, and base agencies are actively teaching lessons learned to their MRA members. If this is just the progress from phase one, we’re incredibly excited to see what future phases will bring.”
The unit will test the skills learned through RICO-OP as they take part in the upcoming Resolute Forces Pacific or REFORPAC exercise later this summer in Japan.
| Date Taken: | 06.24.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.24.2025 10:54 |
| Story ID: | 501325 |
| Location: | CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 45 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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