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.
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.
“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.
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.