388th Fighter Wing prioritizes ACE during home-station exercise

Published May 6, 2025
By Micah Garbarino
388th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah (AFNS) --

Airmen from the 388th Fighter Wing completed a regional Agile Combat Employment exercise with the F-35A Lightning II, operating from forward and contingency locations.

A photo of Airmen loading weapons into an F-35 — U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Alec Flowers, left, Senior Airman William Holt, center, and Staff Sgt. Erich Wegener, right, weapons load crew members assigned to the 4th Fighter Generation Squadron, load a munition onto a jammer during exercise PANTHER SHADOW at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, April 23, 2025. PANTHER SHADOW tested the wing’s ability to generate, rearm, and refuel aircraft at contingency locations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Zachary Rufus)

During the exercise, dubbed PANTHER SHADOW, Airmen from the 4th Fighter Squadron and Fighter Generation Squadron, alongside the 388th Operations Support Squadron, 388th Logistics Support Squadron, 388th Maintenance Squadron and 388th Munitions Squadron, generated aircraft from Hill Air Force Base Utah, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho and historic Wendover Airfield in Wendover, Nevada.

Airmen from across a variety of specialties were deployed to these locations as part of small Mission Ready Airmen teams. They quickly established the ability to receive, re-arm, refuel and launch aircraft as well as communicate with command elements.

A photo of an Airmen refueling and F-35 from a fuel truck — U.S. Air Force Aiman Rian Sullivan, a fuels distribution operator from the 75th Logistics Readiness Squadron, fuels an F-35A Lightning II during exercise PANTHER SHADOW at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, April 23, 2025. PANTHER SHADOW tested the wing’s ability to generate, rearm, and refuel aircraft at contingency locations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Zachary Rufus)

“Our wing has been focused on ACE training down to the squadron level, so it becomes second-nature and the team is ready to excel,” said Col. Michael Gette, 388th Fighter Wing commander. “This training prepares our Airmen to integrate and carry out our mission to deliver F-35 dominance … anytime, anywhere.”

The ACE concept forces units to operate from a network of forward operating locations and contingency locations with mission ready Airmen, contested logistics and a resilient, adaptable command and control structure.

A dispersed force structure complicates the enemy's targeting by making it difficult to locate and strike forward units, reducing the risk to traditionally more vulnerable steady-base infrastructure. The flexibility designed into agile combat operations, also allows commanders to adapt to a multitude of scenarios and conditions more rapidly.

A photo of Airmen shooting through a cloud of red smoke — U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 775th Civil Engineer Squadron Explosive Ordnance Disposal flight simulate enemy attackers during an installation raid as part of exercise PANTHER SHADOW in Wendover, Utah, April 24, 2025. The training enhanced the 388th Fighter Wing’s ability to survive and succeed in future high-end conflict. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Zachary Rufus)

The exercise meets the intent of Air Combat Command’s focus on integrating ACE, not only at large-scale exercises, like Red Flag and Bamboo Eagle, but also at the unit level.

“If we believe that ACE is how we’re going to fight, then we need to incorporate it into every training scenario and exercise,” Gen. Ken Wilsbach, ACC commander. “ACE is difficult to execute from an operational standpoint, but it’s even more challenging logistically... Dispersing a single squadron across multiple airfields while ensuring the availability of fuel, weapons, parts and maintenance personnel is a significant challenge.”

This is the third regional agile combat employment exercise the wing has completed in the past 12 months. The 34th and 421st Fighter Squadrons and Fighter Generation Squadrons completed both local exercises, as well as Red Flag and Bamboo Eagle in 2024 and 2025.