JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawai'i -- Air Mobility Command has sustained operations as part of the U.S. Air Force’s 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.”
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 than 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 Force’s 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 MGFE 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 deploy as cohesive units, expanding AMC’s reach beyond its traditional boundaries.
“Our success in this operation wasn’t 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.
AMC's enhanced interoperability with the Total Force and collaboration with allies and partner nations, ensures the U.S. Air Force remains ready to project, maneuver, and sustain the joint force anytime, anywhere in support of national objectives.