📋 Tender Overview
Published Aug. 20, 2025 By Senior Airman Aidan Thompson Air Mobility Command Public Affairs JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (AFNS) -- Air Mobility Command has sustained operations as part of the U.S. Air Forces 2025 Department-Level Exercise series across the Indo-Pacific region validating its ability to project and sustain combat power, alongside allies and partners, in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. The 2025 DLE series is a first-in-a-generation effort to conduct operations in a contested, dynamic environment to deter competitor aggression where able, and to defeat threats to national security when necessary. AMC approached the DLE series through a unified and dominant approach to global mobility through the seamless integration of other commands. Within the 2025 DLE series, we incorporated the total force, ACC, AETC, AFGSC, AFMC, AFRC, AFSOC, AMC, TRANSCOM, PACAF and Guard components, said Senior Master Sgt. Jennifer Casey, AMC lead logistics planner. It was essential to coordinating all of these moving pieces and ensure the 10,000 Airmen and 1,200 short tons of cargo were properly aggregated to move into theater. U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Julie Tatemoto, 51st Operations Support Squadron, airfield operations officer, speaks to a member of the Japan Air Self-Defense Forces 2nd Contingency Response Team during the U.S. Air Forces 2025 Department-Level Exercise series at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, July 16, 2025. Tatemoto is supporting the DLE under the Language Enabled Airman Program, which deliberately develops language enabled, cross-cultural service members with working-level foreign language proficiency to better support the application of air and space power through strengthening partnerships, interoperability, and adversary understanding. The DLE series encompasses all branches of the Department of Defense, along with Allies and partners, employing more than 400 Joint and coalition aircraft and more than 12,000 members at more than 50 locations across 3,000 miles. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Joshua Smoot) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor aircraft assigned to the 90th Fighter Squadron approaches the boom of a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft operated by an aircrew assigned to the 350th Air Refueling Squadron, during the U.S. Air Forces 2025 Department-Level Exercise series at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, July 20, 2025. The 350th ARS operates the KC-135, conducting air refueling missions necessary to support air mobility on a global scale. The DLE series encompasses all branches of the Department of Defense, along with allies and partners, employing more than 400 joint and coalition aircraft and more than 12,000 personnel across more than 50 locations across 3,000 miles. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Tryphena Mayhugh) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Julie Tatemoto, an airfield operations officer assigned to the 51st Operations Support Squadron, Osan Air Base, South Korea, looks off the ramp of a C-130J Super Hercules supporting a flyover for the 81st Liberation Day Parade in Hagatna, Guam, July 21, 2025, leveraging a training sortie during the Department-Level Exercise series at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. The flights consisted of 13 waves of aircraft from the U.S. Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force, Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Republic of Korea Air Force, and the Royal Australian Air Force showcasing the U.S. and its allies commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Tyler McQuiston) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res To ensure the rapid movement of people and cargo into theater, lead logistics planners like Casey used time-phased force deployment data to schedule and track movements into theater. The curation and upkeep of this documentation ensured personnel and cargo were able to move in a timely manner. My job is to ensure people make it into their operating location and then have a way home, Casey said. If a logistical challenge arises where members are not able to move according to the plan then I would be the one to get them to where they need to be. Once members successfully reached theater within established timelines, logistics and sustainment became the primary focus, as both concepts are key to ensuring the joint force remains agile and responsive. Participating units executed Agile Combat Employment movements across various locations, which effectively demonstrated the U.S. Air Forces ability to sustain operations at mission critical locations. Agile logistics is all about being flexible, fast and precise, said Lt. Col. James Vanderneck, C-130 Maintenance Group Forward Element commander for the DLE 2025 and 41st Airlift Squadron commander. It means getting the right people and equipment to the right place at the right time, without being tied to a single base or traditional supply line. In Guam and throughout the Indo-Pacific region, we practiced by staging aircraft and cargo across multiple locations, proving we can respond quickly even in contested or degraded environments. This exercise was an opportunity for AMC to align its capabilities and resources with the overall objectives for exercises and real-world operations. This enabled Airmen to be mission-ready and for wings to deploy as cohesive units, expanding AMCs reach beyond its traditional boundaries. Our success in this operation wasnt just about speed or volume, Vanderneck said. It was about proving that no matter the circumstance, we can rapidly deploy and sustain our forces to ensure they maintain operational momentum. Joint logistics infrastructure, as demonstrated by the 2025 DLE series, is the backbone of successful operations by enabling efficient and scalable movement of cargo and personnel both within and between theaters. AMCs enhanced interoperability with the Total Force and collaboration with allies and partner nations, ensures the U.S. Air Force remains ready to project
