Air Guard’s mobility, global reach is combat tested, combat proven

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Air National Guard is a combat force in daily use – asked to deter, defend, deploy and fight around the world, and its demand to project power forward by way of airlift planes and air tankers is not slowing down.

That is according to U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Bryony Terrell, deputy director, Air National Guard, speaking Saturday at the 58th Annual Airlift/Tanker Association Symposium and Tech Expo in Kissimmee, Florida.

“Think about the operations we have recently witnessed: Midnight Hammer, Absolute Resolve, Epic Fury, and sustained missions in U.S. Central Command,” Terrell said. “Our global presence should make us proud, but it also should not convince us that our capacity is limitless, or that the next fight will give us the time we need to build the force to prepare and respond to modern warfare demands.”

Even as operational demands intensify and that capacity is tested, the obligation to remain ready is unwavering – a responsibility shared across every component of the Air Force, said Terrell.

“When Airmen step onto an aircraft, the mission does not distinguish between the Air National Guard, the Air Force Reserve, or the active component,” she said. “Neither does the responsibility, nor does the risk and nor should our commitment to ensuring every component is ready, equipped, and capable.”

Terrell was one of several Air Force senior leaders – past and present – to speak at the convention, hosted by the Airlift/Tanker Association, which serves to “support mobility Airmen, preserve mobility culture and strengthen mobility bonds.”

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, who spoke on Friday to the conference, said being in the mobility community means embracing a profession of arms that demands special commitments.

“Whether you fly, fix, load, plan, refuel, command, or support the mobility mission – your work is often measured by sorties, flying hours, or tons delivered,” he said.

The outcome, however, is much more.

“It's the confidence our Joint Force has in our mobility machine when the nation calls, because they know you will be there,” said Wilsbach. “That trust is earned every day on distant ramps, in contested airspace, in maintenance units working through the night, and in operation centers converting requirements into action.”

Terrell echoed that commitment, pointing to Air Guardsmen who are part-time Airmen maintaining full-time readiness.

“Part-time describes many of our Airmen's duty statuses,” she said. “It does not describe the standard to which they train, the experience they bring, or the missions they execute.”

Air Guardsmen bring deep military experience and often civilian expertise and skills in technology, logistics, medicine, industry, cyber and aviation.

“The combination is not a compromise,” she said. “Properly employed, it is our warfighting advantage.”

Terrell highlighted the Air Guard accounts for nearly a third of the Air Force’s total operational power, to include 40% of air refueling capacity and 23% of strategic airlift.

“We’re not a force that ramps up,” said Terrell. “We’re a force that is already integrated and accessible.”

For Lt. Col. Justin Wilson, pilot, Tennessee National Guard Joint Force Headquarters, that cohesion is built on relationships established and, ultimately, reinforced at the conference.

“It’s easy to talk to people through video conferencing or over the phone,” said Wilson, who served as a conference presenter that centered on Total Force Integration. “But it’s extremely important to go around and talk to folks from other components because there is a ton of value when you shake somebody’s hand and get that face-to-face.”

He added the conference unexpectedly provided him the opportunity to meet an active component commander he spoke with “at least 300 times” during his participation in Operation Epic Fury.

“He’s way taller than I thought he was going to be,” Wilson joked, adding he remembered telling other Airmen during the height of OEF “what a great thing it would be to get everybody together in one room, tell all the stories – the good things and the bad things – so we can learn from it.”

During the conference, event officials recognized Air Guardsmen with the 101st Air Refueling Wing, Maine National Guard, as winners of the 2026 Major General Stanley F. H. Newman Air National Guard Award, which is presented annually to the most outstanding Air Guard wing or standalone group that distinguishes itself in support of Mobility Air Force missions.

In addition to delivering more than 174 million pounds of fuel to combat aircraft during OEF, the wing was instrumental in coordinating the delivery of critical aircraft parts and supply items.

Capt. Aaron Pinkham, pilot, 101st ARW, chalked up that portion of the recognition to simple necessity.

“We identified a problem and the unit took action to solve that problem,” he said, adding that integrating with active-duty counterparts was paramount to overall mission success.

The conference also recognized the 70th anniversary of the KC-135 Stratotanker, which Terrell cited as an example of why modernization in the Air Guard must remain a priority.

“The KC-135 is a testament to American engineering, but longevity cannot become an excuse for delayed modernization,” she said. “It's about interoperability, survivability, sustainment, and the ability to generate combat power at scale. When one component falls behind, the entire force pays an operational price.”

During her address, Terrell honored six Airmen killed in a Stratotanker crash in western Iraq while supporting Operation Epic Fury in early March – three Air Guardsmen from the 121st Air Refueling Wing, Ohio National Guard, and three active-component Airmen from the 99th Air Refueling Squadron.

“Their loss was felt across the Total Force: Six Airmen, two components, one crew,” Terrell said. “They served together, they flew together, and they made the ultimate sacrifice together. This community knows that loss well, and today we honor their service.”

She said their sacrifice underscored the bonds that unite Airmen across the three components.

“We hold their families in our hearts, and we recognize that it takes incredible commitment and courage to fly into harm's way, and their service reminds us that the total force is more than an organizational construct,” said Terrell. “It's a shared commitment to the mission, to one another, and to the Nation that we serve.”

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