ATLANTIC CITY AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.J. -- Airmen assigned to the 177th Fighter Wing of the New Jersey Air National Guard participated in a training exercise called “Operation Belt Feed” at Fort Drum, New York, June 24, 2025. The exercise tested the Airmen’s ability to rapidly deploy superior combat airpower with limited knowledge of mission details.
“I want the Jersey Devils to continue to be the sharpest fighter unit in the Air Force; this exercise was shaped around that mindset,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Long, 177th Operations Group commander and exercise lead observer. “To get everyone out of their comfort zone, adapt to the situation, and get the mission done.”
The Airmen who participated in the exercise were given limited mission details until they arrived at Fort Dum via C-130H3 Hercules aircraft from the Delaware Air National Guard. Airmen relied on each other and took instruction from their company grade officer and non-commissioned officer in charge, rather than higher grade officers.
“As an Air Force, we put a lot of emphasis on these large-scale events like ‘Flags’ and Weapons System Evaluation Programs. They serve a purpose, but they’re mostly geared towards the operators,” said Long. “They don’t normally allow our airmen to explore the space, think on their feet, truly make risk-assessments, or enhance the “agile” mindset we absolutely need.”
Airmen used their expert knowledge and previous training to complete the mission with unfamiliar equipment. During the exercise, two 119th Fighter Squadron F-16 pilots would land their F-16Cs, taxi to maintenance members for refueling, have their weapons reloaded, and take off again.
In the future, Lt. Col. Long plans to vary the scope of exercises, such as this one, to strengthen the lethality and readiness of our Airmen.
“I’m always overwhelmed with pride when I see the Jersey Devils go to work,” said Long. “We have the finest people in the United States Air Force and they continually inspire me.”