DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas — The 21st Air Task Force participated in Exercise Bamboo Eagle 26-1 from Feb. 11–21, 2026, operating from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.
Bamboo Eagle 26-1 is a U.S. Air Force Warfare Center exercise and the final component of the Department-Level Exercise series. The event served as a capstone for the 21st ATF, certifying the unit at the 400 level as fully mission capable for deployment.
The 400-level certification validates the unit’s ability to deploy, establish operations in contested environments and sustain combat capability across dispersed locations. It builds on the 300-level certification achieved during Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center Rotation 26-01 in Hawaii, which confirmed the unit’s ability to operate cohesively in geographically separated, contested environments.
Bamboo Eagle is designed to prepare Airmen for combat against advanced threats. The exercise creates a realistic environment that tests distributed command and control and the ability to generate and sustain airpower from multiple locations across the western United States and Pacific while under simulated attack. Rather than relying on centralized mission planning and face-to-face coordination, units operated from hub-and-spoke locations, managing degraded communications and making time-sensitive decisions with incomplete information.
Structured to deploy as an integrated team, the 21st ATF combined command and control, base operating support and Agile Combat Employment concepts while sustaining operations with minimal infrastructure.
“This exercise enhanced our ACE application,” said Lt. Col. Nathaniel White, 21st Combat Air Base Squadron commander. “Achieving 400-level certification ensures we can deploy, establish operations in contested environments and sustain combat capability, executing the mission effectively and decisively.”
During BE 26-1, 21st ATF Airmen operated from Dyess AFB while supporting forward activities extending to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, and Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California. Working as multi-functional teams, Airmen conducted mission planning, force protection, logistics coordination and communications setup under compressed timelines while integrating previously certified small Unmanned Aircraft System operators to expand situational awareness during base defense operations.
“Our Airmen took the lessons we learned from earlier exercises and applied them in real time,” said Col. Thomas Walsh, 21st ATF commander. “We saw measurable improvement in how quickly we established operations, moved resources and maintained command and control across dispersed locations, preparing the unit as a response force within the Air Force Force Generation cycle.”
Interoperability with joint partners remained central to the exercise objectives. The ATF executed large-scale coordination across airlift and command and control processes, reinforcing its transition from certification to deployment-ready status.
“Exercises like BE serve as a foundation for future combat readiness training,” Walsh said. “These exercises are an integral part of a continuous cycle of improvement, ensuring the 21st ATF remains ready to meet the challenges of the future.”