140th Mission Support Group tests joint capabilities with US Pacific Command

More than 100 members of the Colorado Air National Guard’s 140th Mission Support Group traveled to Hawaii for Home Station Readiness Training, June 8–19, 2026. HSRT26 isa high intensity exercise and is designed to enhance operational readiness and test joint capabilities within the U.S. Pacific Command area of responsibility.

The multi-faceted training mission brought together distinct capabilities from the 140th Civil Engineering Squadron, the 140th Force Support Squadron, and the 140th Security Forces Squadron. Operating across Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Bellows Air Force Station, and U.S. Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay (K-Bay), the airmen swapped the familiar terrain of Colorado for a humid, joint-service environment.

Civil Engineering Squadron

140th CES put their skills to use by conducting critical infrastructure repairs at Bellows AFS and embedded firefighters with U.S. Marine Corps partners at K-Bay. At Bellows, the team executed interior renovations on guest cabins, installed metal roofing, completed concrete block repairs, and handled complex plumbing and electrical wiring. These repairs were done on a Morale, Welfare, and Recreation base that faces funding shortfalls for facilities maintenance, implementing training while improving facilities.

Between critical repairs, teams were educated on environmental mitigation and the importance of clearing the invasive rhinoceros beetle, also known as Dynastinae, and reinforcing eroded sections of the local beach to stabilize the shoreline. Meanwhile, 140th CES firefighters completed integrated shifts alongside Marine Corps personnel.

"The main work was on the guest cabins, but we have done other work orders and other tasks throughout the base," said U.S. Air Force Maj. Christian Clark, 140th CES director of operations. "Whilst the buildings are kind of the exciting part, our usual tasks of maintaining the base, keeping work orders done, and making sure the mission is operational continue."

Clark emphasized that deploying to the Pacific forced his Airmen to adapt to an unfamiliar climate and navigate supply chain disruptions.

"In Colorado, you don't get the saltwater effect and the humidity effect on some of the rebar, metals, and HVAC systems," Clark said. "If we're talking about a push to the Pacific, those are the kind of environments we're going to be in. Picking up and going somewhere else and rolling with the punches is an essential skill to any unit."

Force Support Squadron

The 140th FSS focused on employing personnel directly into high-tempo, active-duty operations at Hickam. Services personnel integrated with the 647th FSS to gain experience running a three-meal-a-day dining facility, while human resources personnel embedded with the 154th FSS and Pacific Air Forces Manpower, Personnel and Services directorate to study strategic command information flows.

Additionally, 140th FSS personnel received formal administration training from a fitness assessment cell that processes more tests in a week than their home station encounters in a month, certifying several Colorado members to return home and augment wing staff. The deployment culminated in a multi-day Home Station Readiness Task collaboration alongside five other FSS units from the National Guard and Reserve components, ending in a competitive field training exercise.

"To go into that operational dining facility and into the fitness assessment cell, our Airmen got a taste of something different," said U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Patrick Nay, 140th FSS services superintendent. "Our Airmen got to expand their network and work with other units to see how they do things."

The collaborative nature of the exercise exposed vital training gaps, particularly in command and control and communications under pressure.

"We tried to do a lot in such a short amount of time, so we kind of stepped over the walk phase and went straight to the running phase," Nay said post exercise hot wash. "We don't utilize the radios very much. Communication breaks down, then people get frustrated. We have to figure out how to integrate some of these things into a drill weekend a little more frequently so that we can improve upon those skills and maintain a decent baseline of familiarity at all ranks."

Security Forces Squadron

The 140th SFS pushed its combat capabilities to the limit during Operation Iron Flag II, a realistic, three-phase tactical exercise conducted with the support of the Marine Corps’ 4th Reconnaissance Battalion. Utilizing blank ammunition and the Marine Corps Tactical Infantry Skills Simulation System, the squadron’s Defenders split into two opposing elements.

The mission began with a simulated combat watercraft insertion onto a coastal training zone, followed by independent tactical navigation through thick jungle terrain. The squads cleared and secured independent military operations in urban terrain villages while fending off an active opposing force. The exercise culminated in a high-stakes squad-versus-squad race to locate, secure and defend a downed drone at a central crossroads.

From the tactical operations center, U.S. Air Force Maj. Shaunna Reed, commander, 140th SFS managed command and control, monitoring both squads as they assaulted their objectives.

"We need to train like we're going to actually have to go to war,” Reed said. “War in PACOM isn’t inevitable, but we prepare just the same. That's something that we just can't do in Colorado, so we need to go into those environments. They need to understand what it feels like to go through the thick brush here in Hawaii. They need to understand what the humidity feels like. If we don't practice like we're going to play, then we're really just setting them up for failure."

Reed praised the joint integration and the performance of her troops under grueling field conditions.

"These Defenders are just damn professionals,” she said. “They want to get after training; they want it to be hard. The 4th Recon Marines have really hooked us up by being able to make this exercise happen. We just need to get back to a joint environment, use what each other has, and be able to operate moving forward."

“Members of the Mission Support Group are challenged to do everything they can each drill and annual training day to ensure individually and as a team they are ready to execute our federal and state missions,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Luke Donovan, commander, 140th MSG.“In Hawaii. They improved their technical proficiency, readiness for contingency operations and ability to operate under persistent threat. They represented themselves and the organization well.”

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