Dyess participates in Joint Forcible Entry exercise

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Mercedes Porter
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Twenty-seven C-130H Hercules and C-130J Super Hercules from multiple active duty, reserve and Air National Guard bases took off from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, Dec. 8, 2018, in support of the U.S. Air Force Weapons School Joint Forcible Entry exercise.

For the past four years, Dyess has been the host base for launching the C-130H’s and C-130J’s to support and aid the USAFWS’s JFE, which helps to demonstrate the importance of the 317th Airlift Wing’s mission to always maintain readiness and execute operations in delivering anything, anytime, anywhere.


“The weapons school is an organization that trains tactical experts and leaders to control and then exploit air, space and cyber space on behalf of the joint force,” said U.S. Air Force Captain David Jacobs, 39th Airlift Squadron instructor pilot.


The exercise takes place at Nellis AFB, Nev. and is designed to be a large-scale air drop and land mobility mission in which participating students plan and execute an air-land operation in a simulated contested battlefield.


Every six months, the school graduates nearly 100 weapons officers and enlisted specialists who are tactical system experts, weapons instructors and leaders of Airmen. In addition, the school provides academic and advisory support to multiple units to enhance air combat training for numerous Airmen, the Department of Defense and U.S. allied services.


“The importance for joint exercises of this nature is to help get the most amount of Airmen qualified to perform the tasks they will be assigned for their graduation,” said Master Sgt. Benjamin Condie, 317th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron production superintendent. “This could be jobs such as ground intelligence, infiltration or exfiltration training, parachute jumpers or other scenarios the weapons school will be running during this exercise. One of the most vital pieces is allowing members from the guard or reserve units to get these opportunities in training that they may otherwise not get on a regular basis.”


Upon graduation, the new tactics and weapons officers will return to the field to lead combat missions and provide Air Force senior leaders and decision makers with tactical, operational and strategic support.