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ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam — As part of the Air Force’s 2025 Department-Level Exercise series, Air Mobility Command safety personnel ensured mission readiness by identifying hazards and mitigating risks for Airmen at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.
One of their primary goals was to maintain safety standards at each fast-paced and dispersed operating location by prioritizing communication with Airmen on the ground. Face-to-face interactions with Airmen were vital for the team’s success.
“We’re here as advocates for our Airmen,” said Capt. Christopher Gonzales, 19th Airlift Wing chief of flight safety. “We’re out there in force interfacing with our team every day and being advocates for them. You can’t enforce safety if you don’t know what they’re going through — I want to experience what they’re going through.”
This approach was also key to the team's success and reflects an emphasis on safety as a key foundational element in every operation, supported by systems that are reliable, available, and dependable.
“DLE 2025 marked a significant paradigm shift in our exercise safety methodology,” said Lt. Col. Michael Bargiel, AMC Flight Safety chief. "Recognizing the unique challenges posed by dispersed operations across the Indo-Pacific theater and the compressed operational tempo inherent to agile combat employment concepts, we fundamentally restructured our safety evaluation approach.”
Instead of functioning as external evaluators, AMC safety professionals were directly embedded with deployed units, offering real-time risk assessments and safety guidance. This integrated approach allowed for continuous monitoring throughout all stages of the mission and eliminated the need for periodic check-ins.
“Each embedded safety professional could focus on the unique operational environment, local weather patterns, host-nation coordination requirements, and facility-specific risks at their assigned location, providing a more comprehensive and nuanced safety evaluation than previously possible,” Bargiel said.
From inspecting equipment setups to verifying proper usage of personal protective equipment, the safety team took a hands-on approach rooted in operational discipline, which ensured Airmen maintained the readiness and standards necessary for any environment.
"Being prepared isn't just about having the right equipment. It's about anticipating challenges and having plans to address them,” said Kevin Sluss, AMC Flight Safety deputy chief. "When we manage risks effectively, we free up our people to focus on what they do best. It's like clearing the roadblocks so they can move forward with confidence."
One key example was ensuring effective airfield driving at Andersen AFB. With new drivers potentially unfamiliar with the layout, safety personnel identified this risk early on. The team performed timely corrections to help units implement actions to prevent potential mishaps.
“We’re trying to give them the proper steps and tools to still finish the mission and to do it safely,” said Tech. Sgt. Evizia Zorro, 87th Air Base Wing occupational safety specialist. “We’re doing that by making sure we’re talking to the Airmen working and seeing what the issue might be.”
These proactive measures underscore the importance of risk management as a dynamic and continuous process that supports mission success. The data collected by the team during the exercise series is already paving the way forward for future exercises.
“DLE 2025 yielded several critical insights that will fundamentally reshape our approach to exercise safety and operational risk management,” Bargiel said.
For instance, the exercise series highlighted the need for safety team integration earlier in the planning process. Enabling proactive hazard identification and strong partnerships with host nation safety teams was also crucial, because it provides localized knowledge and enhance joint risk management.
“These lessons learned are already being incorporated into our planning for future exercises and are being evaluated for application to daily AMC operations, particularly as we continue to develop and refine agile combat employment capabilities across the command,” Bargiel said.
With safety and operational discipline as guiding pillars, the team’s work demonstrates that well executed and risk-informed decisions ensure mission success without unnecessary risk.
"The key takeaway is that managing risk isn't just a process; it's a mindset,” Sluss said. “We're empowering our people to think proactively and make informed decisions in every situation."
| Date Taken: | 08.01.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.13.2025 11:56 |
| Story ID: | 544478 |
| Location: | ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, GU |
| Web Views: | 7 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, AMC safety team prioritizes risk mitigation and mission readiness during DLE 2025, by SSgt Dalton Williams, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
