Atlantic City Air National Guard Base, N.J. -- The 177th Logistics Readiness Squadron Petroleum, Oil and Lubricants fuel management flight conducted a Mission-Ready Airmen (formerly Multi-Capable Airmen) training in July and August at the Atlantic City Air National Guard Base, New Jersey.
The MRA initiative improves the Air Force’s flexibility by ensuring Airmen from various career fields are trained in multiple skill sets, such as R-11 refueler operation and maintenance, cryogenic operations, fuels laboratory operations and basic fuel service center operations.
“MRA supports the 177th Fighter Wing mission by enhancing versatility, team efficiency and mission readiness through Airmen that are capable of performing multiple roles,” said Senior Master Sgt. Misty Capanas, 177th Fighter Wing Fuels Superintendent. “This MRA class was a major success and we couldn’t be prouder of our Airmen.”
The 177th Fighter Wing mission benefits from skilled, multifaceted Airmen to routinely contribute dominant airpower.
“The goal of the class is to equip Airmen with the knowledge and practical skills related to servicing aircraft,” said Tech. Sgt. Charles Zingrone, 177th Fuels Operations Section Chief. “Our career field ensures fuel is consistently available for aircraft to keep the mission going. It gives us a sense of pride to provide Airmen with the knowledge and hands-on training they can effectively utilize in deployed environments.”
The MRA program was designed with rigorous yet achievable goals to give Airmen a foundational understanding of the fuels management career field. The 177th LRS POL team hopes to evolve and expand this MRA program for future iterations.
“We hope to use this as a pilot program for other wings to develop a larger pool of mission-ready Airmen,” said Capanas. “These Airmen will be a mission-critical asset in future warfare.”
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