DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, Ga. -- It’s a competition that showcases the savvy and raw strength of the aerial porters, also known as Port Dawgs, who lift, load, process and palletize cargo, and who serve as the backbone of global mobility. But the strength of U.S. military partnerships was also highlighted at this year’s Port Dawg Challenge.
In addition to 25 teams from across the U.S Air Force Reserve Command, the 2026 AFRC Port Dawg Challenge included competitors from the air reserve components of Canada and the United Kingdom, as well as observers from the Philippines.
“This is an opportunity for friendly competition, to learn new best practices from each other, and to build camaraderie that crosses squadron – and even continental – lines,” said the Port Dawg Competition Commander Colonel Dori Mansur during the opening ceremony April 14, 2026, at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga., which has hosted the competition since 2010.
The military-to-military engagement falls under the Reserve Allies and Partners Program, or RAPP, which promotes International Reserve Force interoperability and hones operational skillsets to advance strategic objectives.
“Strong relationships aren’t just about shared exercise and war-gaming experiences,” wrote Lt . Gen. John P. Healy, Chief of Air Force Reserve and Commander of Air Force Reserve Command in a 2025 commentary about RAPP, in which he highlighted the Port Dawg Challenge. “This aerial port competition focuses on honing logistical military operations in any theater.”
Teams competed in 12 timed events over three days, showcasing their skills in Aerial Port Operations. Challenges included building up pallets, restraining cargo, driving Halvorsens and loading and unloading cargo on a C-130 with its engines running.
As teams faced off in the challenges, they also proved how seamlessly the allied partners can work together.
“Working with like-minded nations, with allies, is super important,” said Lt. Col. Dwayne Demers of the Royal Canadian Air Force, as the Canadian team took part in the pallet build-up event. “Interoperability is the biggest thing.”
Warrant Officer Bob Adam of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force Reserve says the Port Dawg Challenge is held in high regard in England.
"It's fantastic for our teams to come together and compete with other nationalities,” said Adam, noting that teams look forward to both the competition and the camaraderie. “We've got common goal movements. We're all aiming for that global reach.”
The competition was a friendly reminder for all participants that readiness, lethality and training are not one-sided goals, but rather, they are standards for all military partners globally to uphold.
Event planners announced event and overall competition winners during the closing ceremony on April 16. 2026, with both international teams participating being awarded top honors in several events. The U.K. team placed first overall on the written exam and third overall in both passenger processing and cargo restraint, with the Canadian team placing second overall in the written exam.
But the international observers didn’t simply rest in the background. After watching teams compete in the physical fitness challenge known as Fit to Fight, the Philippine Air Force contingent stepped out of its observer role to participate in the timed race.
“It was tough,” said Lt. Col. Norwin Licoto of the Philippine Air Force, of the challenge that ended with an uphill run while carrying an 80-pound weight under the blazing Georgia sunshine. Overall, he said, his team was most impressed with the competitions that unfolded on the other side of the Transportation Proficiency Center.
“I think the most interesting are those events on the flightline because we learn a lot from them,” said Licoto. “We can use those lessons in the Air Force when we go back to the Philippines.”
The Philippine Air Force has had multiple opportunities to learn best practices from the U.S. Air Force Reserve. A delegation visited multiple AFRC installations, including Dobbins ARB, just last August as part of RAPP.
The Port Dawg Challenge is set to return to Dobbins Air Reserve Base in 2028, where it will provide another opportunity for allies to demonstrate accessible combat power and partner integration that will continue to provide strategic depth for not just the U.S., but our partners and allies as well.