Airmen assigned to the 23d Logistics Readiness Squadron prepare to weigh cargo during a readiness exercise Feb. 3, 2021, at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. The 23d Mission Support Group prepared personnel and equipment for movement to a simulated downrange location. The 4-day exercise, Ready Tiger, tests Team Moody’s readiness by evaluating the preparation of aircraft, operations and maintenance units at home station to achieve an alert status in preparation for Mosaic Tiger Feb. 22-26, 2021. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jasmine M. Barnes)

MOODY AIR FORCE BASE – The 23rd Wing participated in Ready Tiger exercise early this month.

Ready Tiger is a readiness exercise that tests the 23rd Wing’s ability to generate and prepare combat air power, identify strengths and weaknesses and promote an environment that empowers airmen and leaders to find solutions to complex problems, in FPCON Charlie.

“In order to maintain its role as a premier force provider and develop its ability to project relevant attack and rescue combat power, the 23rd Wing must embrace change with a lethal vengeance,” said Henry “Hank” Santicola, 23rd Wing director of inspection and readiness. “A major objective of Ready Tiger was to identify shortfalls and limitations to this new deployment construct so we can do it better next time and increase our capability to meet emerging requirements. Capturing those lessons and developing plans to fix our shortfalls is our focus now.”

Ready Tiger was a new force presentation concept that challenged the 23rd Wing to rapidly deploy forces.

Instead of a typical air and pace expeditionary force deployment with months of notice to prepare a single unit, Ready Tiger was a three-week-long effort to prepare a large force of multiple aircraft to come up to an alert status, then deploy with short notice.

Coordinating weeks worth of movement in a short period of time can come with a host of new obstacles but, through coordination and teamwork, Ready Tiger participants excelled.

“Maintainers cannot get aircraft ready if they need (Combat Arms Training and Maintenance) training at the same time,” Santicola said. “This required complex coordination between all of the groups on Moody to fully integrate medical processing; chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive defense issue; CATM; and personnel processing, while getting aircraft prepared.”

According to the 23d Maintenance Group commander, Moody airmen accomplished the exercise objectives.

“(We) generated 32 A-10Cs, four HH-60Gs, all the cargo, and personnel required well within tight timelines and with minimal discrepancies,” Col. Stephen Harvey, 23rd Maintenance Group commander, said. “MXG crushed it and we did it with help from other agencies.”

The Flying Tiger’s work is not complete. Ready Tiger was just the beginning to prepare for Mosaic Tiger.

“I expect to see the learning continue. Moody has conducted many small-scale exercises to train, test and adjust concepts. Mosaic Tiger is the first large-scale exercise to validate those exercises,” Santicola said. “Ready Tiger was the deployment from Moody with a short notice to a combat theater. Mosaic Tiger will be the operations that occur in theater.”

Team Moody will continue to implement mission readiness and prepare for the next base exercise, Mosaic Tiger Feb. 22-26.