Courtesy Photo | U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Christopher Barron, 325th Security Forces Squadron...... read more read more
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TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – U.S. Airmen assigned to the 325th Communications Squadron conducted operational readiness training during exercise Ground-to-Air Transmit and Receive Aid at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, Aug. 8, 2025.
Also known as GATR AID, this exercise was designed to strengthen tactical skills and enhance operational readiness.
Exercise GATR AID is significant for communications Airmen as they’re tasked to push beyond traditional support roles , not only lending to the Mission-Ready Airman concept of Airmen training and operating outside of their traditional job parameters but also preparing them to operate in real-world contested environments where maintaining reliable communications under pressure is critical.
“[The exercise] definitely gets you thinking differently and captures that big picture -giving people a different perspective and more understanding,” said Staff Sgt. Jonathon Everson, 325th CS system administrator. “It gets [Airmen] involved and engaged, and when you have engagement, people tend to learn better.”
The exercise featured various tactical scenarios such as practicing approaching mock villages, learning how to safely move through unfamiliar terrain while looking for signs of opposing forces. They carried out force-on-force reactions where Airmen faced off in controlled combat situations. To make the training more authentic, Airmen operated Humvees and carried rifles throughout.
“Giving [Airmen] these simulated, controlled environments can help them understand and better adapt to what could come in the future,” said Everson. “Trying to keep focus while going through the physical and mental strain of this kind of exercise definitely sharpens your skills and makes you think about your own resiliency.”
Exercise GATR AID was a collaborative effort of multiple squadrons, including the 325th Security Forces, Logistics Readiness, and Civil Engineer Squadrons, as well as the 801st Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers. The supporting units aided in providing equipment, weapons and facilities indispensable to the success of the exercise.
“That's the best part of everybody getting after readiness,” said Staff Sgt. Daniel Stricker, 325th CS unit deployment manager. “Units have the capability now to help each other as a mission support group role; it's what the Air Force expects.”
Exercise GATR AID reflects a broader shift in focus across the Air Force, where units traditionally centered on support functions are expanding their readiness training to better align with the demands of modern operations.
| Date Taken: | 09.16.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.16.2025 12:43 |
| Story ID: | 548285 |
| Location: | TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 39 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Communications Squadron sharpens combat skills in exercise GATR AID, by A1C Amanda Alvarez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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