‘Going Mobil’: Airmen test their capabilities

Published 1:00 pm Tuesday, September 8, 2020

MOODY AIR FORCE BASE – Team Moody hosted Mobil Tiger V last month for multi-capable airmen to expand their skills.

Mobil Tiger is an agile combat employment exercise designed to integrate critical expeditionary skills from several functional areas to accomplish missions downrange with minimal resources.

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“Mobil Tiger is a capstone exercise, which enables Moody airmen to hone the skills they have learned through the 23rd Wing multi-capable airmen program,” said Maj. William Piepenbring, 23rd Wing integration and training office director. “Throughout the two-day event, airmen’s flexibility, versatility and agility are tested as they protect, sustain and maneuver while generating combat power in a dynamic scenario.”

Mobil Tiger V is the fifth in a series of exercises, which started in 2019. It provides exposure to a predicted environment of conflict that tests airmen who are trained to be more proficient and less vulnerable to enemy attacks.

“The primary objective of the Mobil Tiger exercise series is to validate the training airmen receive throughout the two-week MCA training period,” said Senior Master Sgt. Michael Coad, 23rd Wing integration and training office superintendent. “The 23rd wing’s multi-capable airmen program was developed in response to the Air Force’s transition from traditional, large-force packages of specialized airmen performing limited-scope tasks within a permissive environment to a more agile model of operations.”

During Mobil Tiger, airmen were tasked with providing security for the simulated forward operating site and establishing communication between the forward operating base, ground personnel and aircraft. In addition, they were responsible for Tactical Combat Casualty Care and refueling and rearming A-10C Thunderbolt IIs.

“These airmen are not only doing their jobs but they have learned the responsibilities and skills of other Air Force specialty codes around them,” said Master Sgt. Christopher West, 23rd Wing MCA program manager. “If a member of the team is (unable to continue the mission), they know the position that needs to be filled, and they can take action. Airmen have always been defined by their specific AFSC, but times are changing, so we need to adapt and allow our airmen to change as well.”

The mission relies on airmen who are capable of accomplishing necessary tasks downrange. This exercise allows airmen to demonstrate the new skills they have learned and continue to perfect the skills they had prior to completing MCA training.

“Mobil Tiger is not only a way we can validate the training curriculum for our multi-capable airmen,” Piepenbring said. “It is a critical piece in the culture change that has to occur in the Air Force as we prepare our airmen for the future fight.”

The next Mobil Tiger exercise is scheduled for Sept. 16-17.