Photo By Capt. Michael Luangkhot | A Red Tail F-35A Lightning II assigned to the 187th Fighter Wing, Alabama Air National...... read more read more
DANNELLY FIELD, Ala.– The 187th Fighter Wing proved its operational capabilities during exercise Sentry South 26-2, a large force exercise held from Feb. 20 to March 4, 2026. The wing projected airpower from home station while deploying a small, self-sufficient maintenance team to a forward location at the Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center (CRTC) in Mississippi.
Sentry South 26-2 involved approximately 1,100 service members from active duty, Guard, and Reserve components of the U.S. military. The exercise brought together more than 15 different types of aircraft for a training event focused on joint combat operations in a contested environment.
"Readiness is a powerful message we can send to our adversaries. Exercises like Sentry South are not just training. They demonstrate our resolve and ability to project our combat capabilities," said Col. John Caldwell, 187th Fighter Wing commander. "Participating in this exercise allows us to sharpen our skills required to fly, fix, and fight, ensuring every member of our team is prepared to execute their mission under the most demanding conditions."
While the 187th Fighter Wing's F-35A Lightning IIs launched from Dannelly Field, a specialized maintenance team at Gulfport CRTC demonstrated the wing’s ability to sustain airpower from dispersed locations. Airmen practiced Agile Combat Employment by rehearsing rapid redeployments and cross-functional training. By performing tasks outside their primary specialties to simulate operations during casualties, the team proved it could decentralize decision-making and maintain frontline survivability.
To simulate a contested battlespace, the maintenance team practiced generating sorties under the pressures of compressed time windows and degraded communications. This required them to quickly recover, refuel, arm, and relaunch aircraft, while also making tactical decisions without direct contact with the main operating base.
"We are empowering our NCOs and Airmen to solve complex problems under pressure, far from home station leadership," said Chief Master Sgt. Stephen Hunter, 187th FIghter Wing Maintenance Group Senior Enlisted Leader. "We're trusting them to lead on the ground. When you see a young Airman take the initiative to safely and efficiently get a jet turned around, you are seeing decentralized combat operations that could happen on the battlefield."
Additionally, the 187th Fighter Wing's Logistics Readiness Squadron utilized its Ground Transportation team to organically transit essential F-35 support equipment to the forward operating location. Contingency & Wartime Plans and the Traffic Management Office organized and manifested Maintenance and Security Forces personnel for air transport using C-130J Super Hercules assigned to the Rhode Island Air National Guard and CH-47 Chinooks assigned to the Alabama Army National Guard. This logistical movement was vital for ensuring continuous operations at the Gulfport CRTC.
| Date Taken: | 12.31.1969 |
| Date Posted: | 03.11.2026 09:45 |
| Story ID: | 559987 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 69 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, The 187th Fighter Wing sharpens their combat edge during Sentry South 26-2, by Capt. Michael Luangkhot, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
