Major Indo-Pacific military exercise kicks off with US, UK and allies
Exercise Mobility Guardian 2023, Air Mobility Command’s (AMC) largest “full-spectrum readiness exercise” in the command’s history, began on 5 July in the Indo-Pacific region.
This year’s MG23 reflects an evolution…
Exercise Mobility Guardian 2023, Air Mobility Command’s (AMC) largest “full-spectrum readiness exercise” in the command’s history, began on 5 July in the Indo-Pacific region.
This year’s MG23 reflects an evolution from the exercise’s previous three U.S.-based iterations and aims to “understand and overcome distance to deliver the mobilisation, deployment and sustainment functions that the Joint Force, allies and partners depend on to respond to challenges worldwide”, AMC said.
“It should be evident by now that success of the Joint Force requires a capable and integrated Mobility Air Force,” said Gen. Mike Minihan, AMC commander. “MG23 will turn planned integration into operational integration within the theatre, stretching MAF capabilities to meet future demands and protect shared international interests with our allies and partners.”
Multinational exercise
A multinational endeavor, MG23 will feature seven participating countries – Australia, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States – operating approximately 70 mobility aircraft across multiple locations spanning a 3,000 mile exercise area until 21 July.
MG23 will employ 3,000 personnel in direct support of the exercise and expects to support more than 15,000 U.S. forces, and allied and partner participants associated with other exercises this year, seven times that of MG21 and nearly three times that of MG19.
Planning began in the spring of 2022 for the Pacific endeavor involving more than 200 planners from across AMC, including the headquarters staff, 18th Air Force, the 618th Air Operations Center and the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center.
AMC exercise planners partnered with planners from dozens of additional Air Force, joint and international units to ensure the exercise delivers on its intent to demonstrate interoperability across joint and combined international forces.
“The collaboration and connection formed alongside our DoD teammates and our allies and partners during planning and execution will pay dividends today, tomorrow and into our unquestionably complex future,” said Lt. Col. Jake Parker, MG23 exercise director.
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