FORT WORTH NAVAL AIR STATION JOINT RESERVE BASE, TEXAS — From Jan. 29 to Feb. 17, fifty-nine Marines and two KC-130J aircraft assigned to Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron (VMGR) 153 deployed to Texas for exercise Bright Horizon. The Detachment for Training (DFT) had one clear purpose: strengthen combat readiness away from home station and prepare the squadron for full operational capability.
The DFT focused on improving aircrew progression, advancing maintenance training, and operating in a simulated contested environment. Crews executed aerial refueling, tactical navigation, assault landing zone operations, air delivery, battlefield illumination, threat reaction drills, and aviation delivered ground refueling, both day and night. Large division flights practiced mass aerial delivery to sharpen leadership and resupply capabilities.
Maj. Joshua Soltan, executive officer of VMGR-153, emphasized the importance of training away from home. “This is a true ‘practice as you fight’ environment,” he said. “Operating outside of Hawai‘i forces us to adapt, rely on each other, and execute without the comfort of our normal support systems.”
Training under realistic threat conditions, Marines practiced light discipline at night, secure communications, anti-drone awareness, and indirect fire drills. They also operated in mission oriented protective posture gear to simulate working under a chemical attack.
“This wasn’t just about flying hours,” Soltan explained. “It was about integrating ground and air operations in a ‘Road to War’ scenario and preparing our Marines for modern threats.”
The training was especially valuable because it replicated distributed aviation operations, something not easily achieved in Hawai‘i. Specialized ranges allowed for terrain-following and large-scale delivery exercises that cannot be duplicated at home station.
The detachment was highly successful, achieving all primary objectives and seizing additional training opportunities. VMGR-153 even supported nearby units that were conducting their Marine Corps Combat Readiness Evaluations.
As experienced Marines transition out of service, exercises like Bright Horizon are critical for passing knowledge to the next generation. “We’re building confidence and self-reliance in our Marines,” Soltan said. “That’s what strengthens the squadron and the Marine Corps.”
VMGR-153 is a versatile medium-lift, fixed-wing, tactical aircraft squadron that provides air-to-air refueling, assault support, close air support, and multi-sensor imagery reconnaissance, to extend the operational reach and endurance of the Marine Air Ground Task Force. When the squadron returned home, it did so more capable, more confident, and closer to full operational capability.