Photo By Senior Airman Iain Stanley | A U.S. Air Force Airman assigned to the 23d Combat Air Base Squadron evaluates the flightline during Exercise Ready Tiger 26-3 at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina, April 14, 2026. The exercise reinforced combat readiness and the Wing’s ability to generate and project airpower in support of national defense objectives. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Senior Airman Iain Stanley) see less
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IG assesses 23d Wing combat readiness during Ready Tiger
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. —Airmen from the 23d Wingparticipatedin a combat readiness exercise April 13-17, 2026, in the Savannah Air Dominance Center at Savannah Air National Guard Base, Georgia, as part of the Air Force’s push to hone lethality and readiness across the service.
Ready Tiger 26-3 tested the wing’s ability to meet joint-force-commander intent against pacing threats in a contested,degradedand operationally limited environment.
The wing’s Inspector General staff developed the trainingobjectivesand evaluated the performance of the Airmen as theymaintainedthe ability tooperateacross a main operating base, forward operatingsiteand contingency location with the responsibility of command and control of an assigned mission generation force element. They alsoassessedthe effectiveness of information-operationsguidanceaimed at preventing avoidable losses, with specific focus on countersmall unmanned aerial systems, signals management and emissions control.
“Ready Tiger and future exercises will aggressively integrate the latest intelligence to ensure our training always remains relevant and unmatched,” said Col. Hiram Ortiz, 23d Wing Inspector General. “Every test of the 23d’s lethality and readiness reinforces one absolute truth — that our team is postured to deliver airpower, anytime and anywhere.”
Who Was There?
Airmenfrom the 23dWgAir Staff served as the maincommand and controlnode with support from the 23d Combat Air Base Squadron Airmen, who providedforce protection,sustainmentand base operations support integration capabilities. The 95th Fighter Squadron and 95th Fighter Generation Squadron from Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, flew in their F-35A Lightning II as the bolt-on fighter element, and the communications and network support came from the 242nd Combat Communications Squadron,Geiger Field, Spokane International Airport, Washington.
Multiple observers from across the joint force and higher headquarters alsoarrivedtoview, take notes and help assess the performance of the exercise players, to include the Marine Wing Support Squadron 273, Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber), Fifteenth Air Force,Air Combat Command, among other teams.
And throughoutit all, IG and the Wing Inspection Team (WIT) served asthe designatedimpartial observers, evaluatingand assessingperformance against established standards while documenting strengths,deficienciesand recommended improvement areas.These observationsultimately gointoa comprehensive report for commandersand higher headquarters, highlighting issues,identifyingrootcausesand providing recommendations to get better.
What they did
The warfighting unitforReady Tigerwas hundreds of different specialties smashed together, and the expectationwas a no-fail mission designed to place the team in a hazardous location and exercise sortie generationand theelimination of enemy targets in a highly contested environment – all while responding to enemy attacks through eitherconventionalkineticwarfare or through attacks on public sentiment inside the information environment.The constant focus on signals managementdrove an enhancedoperations security mindsetthat createdadditionalcommand and control hardships.
Simply put, that specialized team of Airmen made up thefoundationfor opening a headquarters and using both existing and mobile infrastructure to launch jets on target from popup locations throughout regionwhile avoiding enemy retaliation,demonstratingthe success of Agile Combat Employment andMission ReadyAirmen models.
The specific scenarios in the exercise are built from commander’s desired learningobjectives, with the IG and WIT shaping them to assess how units respond. The IG focusedon evaluating the commander’s ability to lead and synchronize forces.
“We develop the inspection framework, designed to test compliance with directives and the unit's ability to perform its mission-essential tasks under duress,” said MasterSgt.Paisley Majewski, 23dWgIG superintendent and WITmanager. “ACC priorities are centered on building a more lethal and ready force capable of deterring aggression and winning in a contested environment, so Airmen must be ready andproperly trained, equipped and prepared to execute their mission at a moment’s notice. Exercises like Ready Tiger ensure the 23dWgis ready to Attack, Rescue and Prevail.”
Why it matters
The giantprocessof evaluation, assessment, feedback, after action reporting,andcorrective action planning is all in place toenableleadership and exercise playerstoreceive an objective andaccurateassessment of the force’s overall readiness.
“We leverage these findings to maximize training, to forge future exercises and to deliberately target areas for growth,” Ortiz said. “The goal is simple — maximize our lethality and perfect combat effectiveness.”
Faster, stronger, flexible, adaptive. Ready. Now.
Key observations from these scenarios includeddecision-making speed and quality under pressure and uncertainty, as well as communication effectiveness showing clarity and resilience in contested environments. Coordinationwas also assessed, emphasizing how well internal staff, adjacent units and joint partners integrate to achieve a unified operational effect.
The WIT and IG team evaluated exercise players’ actions, and injected different scenarios in real time to putadditionalstress and force the players to go through their every step of their primary, alternate,contingencyand emergency plans.Depending on the agility of players, sometimes thefull breadth of a scenariowouldn’tplay out, so thecommanderlearningobjectivesmay not be exercised fully. With the loving help of WIT, the players hadthe proper scope, scale,rigorand relevance to effectively assess unit readiness.
“These exercises help reinforce that we’re ready for the call no matter when it comes,” said Col. Sean Hall, 23dWgcommander and air expeditionary wing commander for Ready Tiger. “We’retaking advantage of every minute of training, andwe’reensuring units across the 23d Wing are ready to deploy as a team. Success looks like a team that can solve any problem; and our team never gives up — they always find a way to win.”
“We’re going to get the mission done,” hecontinuedabout how his team performed through generating airpower while navigating through advanced attacks, degraded communications,logisticsand supply chain issues, and other advanced capabilities testsfor accountability and medical readiness. “Our mindset of teamwork and team building, partnered with a spirit of trust across all entities in the wing, makes a group who never quits andwhoare ready to deliver airpower on behalf of any combatant commander.”
As Ready Tigerended, leaders emphasizedthat the value of the exercise extends beyond evaluation alone. Each iteration strengthens the Wing’s ability toidentifygaps, refine tactics and reinforce mission readiness. By combining realistic scenarios with assessment, the 23d Wing ensures itsAirmenremainprepared tooperatein complex, contestedenvironmentsand deliver combat airpower whenever and wherever it is needed.
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