Warfighting leaders training is hands-on

WESTOVER AIR RESERVE BASE, Mass. --

Empathetic, hands-on leadership isn't about leading from the top but from within - it's about rolling up your sleeves, being present for the challenges and understanding the needs of your Citizen Airmen. It's the kind of leadership that not only guides but also inspires by example.

The 2024 Air Force Reserve Command Wing Commander, Command Chief and Spouse Conference was held at Westover Air Reserve Base Aug. 6 - 7. A key component of the conference was a combat readiness-based competition for general officers, commanders and command chiefs. The participants had a chance to be in the boots of their Airmen - they experienced portions of the skills Airmen are required to maintain for deployment readiness, while also practicing team building, communication and overall problem solving.

"The core purpose of the warfighters conference was Lt. Gen. Healy's intent of being Ready Now and Transforming for the Future," said Colonel Greg D. Buchanan, 439^th Airlift Wing commander. "By grasping the fundamental readiness training requirements we levy on our Citizen Airmen, we can more effectively manage the limited time allotted to that training each drill weekend."

The combat readiness competition was held at Westover's Dogpatch Training Area, an expeditionary training site partitioned near a former Westover runway and unique within AFRC. Nearly 120 of the military attendees divided into four teams and competed in five events: A tactical combat convoy course, an urban terrain building clearing exercise and demonstration, an Excellence in Competition round of firing with the new Sig Sauer M-18 pistol, a cargo selection and pallet build-up competition, and a Tactical Combat Casualty Care relay race.

Dogpatch was especially suited to host the competition, as it has the capability to exercise the gamut of expeditionary requirements. Originally built as an austere training environment in the late 1970s, Westover reservists used it through the 1980s and '90s as an exercise location for many MAJCOM-level exercises such as the huge 1981 command Condor Redoubt exercise and later on, Patriot Tiger. Dogpatch fell into disrepair in the following years, but the Patriot Wing began revitalizing it starting in 2020.

Thanks to those efforts, it now hosts beddown capacity for up to 300 personnel and boasts AFRC's only convoy training area, two outdoor firing ranges, an extensive Military Operations in Urban Terrain compound, a drop zone and rotary-wing operations area, and ramp space for two C-130 aircraft.

The timing worked out well for this leadership event too.

"We were thrilled to display the capabilities of the Dogpatch training site to this group of leaders," said Chuck Carlin, 439 AW Director of Plans and Exercises. Regarding the leadership competition, Carlin said, "while the five events were imagined and selected by the planning team, Patriot Wing Airmen entirely managed and executed the events themselves. They were more than a little excited to be able to show off their skills while putting their leadership to the test."

The 439 AW commander echoed AFRC senior leadership's spotlight on individual readiness.

"Deployment readiness leadership is crucial because it ensures our teams are fully prepared to meet operational demands, adapt to changing environments, and respond effectively to challenges, " Buchanan said. "Strong leadership in this area helps maintain the efficiency, morale, and overall performance, minimizing risks and maximizing the success of deployments. The portion of the conference that took place at our Dogpatch Readiness Training District was the perfect capstone to amplify the importance of Lt. Gen. Healy's task order."

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