When in Rome, Execute
When in Rome, Execute
Airman 1st Class Joshua Adamy
105th Airlift Wing
STEWART AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.Y. — Airmen from the 205th Base Defense Squadron trained for short-notice deployments during Operation WIRE at Fort Drum, New York, from Aug. 25 to 27, 2026. Support came from other units within the 105th Base Defense Group and the 105th Airlift Wing.
Defenders and equipment flew from Stewart Air National Guard Base, New York, to Fort Drum on a C-17 Globemaster III assigned to the 137th Airlift Squadron. There they practiced a wartime security mission. They took control of a simulated village and a defended airfield after airfield-seizure forces handed the site over and held it for 60 hours against repeated attacks.
Airfield-seizure forces are the units that first take a site from enemy control. On a real mission that work often falls to specialized teams such as the 75th Ranger Regiment or a Marine expeditionary unit. The defenders’ first job on arrival is to take the site from those forces, check the security and build it up so the mission can run. At Fort Drum, special warfare Airmen from the 20th Air Support Operations Squadron, the active-duty tactical air control party unit based there in support of the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division, played that role and completed the handoff.
The 205th BDS was the main team being trained. Other players supporting the exercise were agile combat support Airmen, including intelligence, supply and vehicle-maintenance Airmen from the 105th Security Support Squadron, two medical technicians and a medical officer from the 105th Medical Group, and one personnel-support member from the 105th Force Support Squadron. The medical team used the exercise to train on tactical combat casualty care and mass-casualty response. Other 105th SCS Airmen ran the exercise control cell and filled support roles, including host-nation role players.
The opposing force was a mix of 105th Base Defense Group defenders and a flight from the 20th ASOS. Four defenders from the 224th Air Defense Group and Eastern Air Defense Sector also joined the opposing-force ground team. Those teams collected information on the defending force with drones and other surveillance tools and carried out attacks of different sizes, including a complex night attack on the defended airfield.
New 105th BDG student-flight Airmen waiting to leave for basic training played villagers and filled other roles to make the scenario more realistic and to show the future Airmen what living in the field looks like.
The exercise name is a nod to where the concept started. The first version was run as fieldcraft training at the former Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, New York.
“That name, WIRE, stands for When in Rome Execute,” said Maj. Steve Morris, 105th Security Support Squadron commander.
Morris said security forces usually train on their own. Operation WIRE puts defenders in the field with Airmen in other jobs so each side learns what the other can do, what it cannot do, what it has to accomplish and what it needs to practice.
That matters because holding and protecting a site is not done by defenders alone. A team that has to leave on short notice will take intelligence, supply, vehicle-maintenance, medical and personnel specialists with it. Training together first shows each shop what the others can do, what they need and how to get the site running before a real deployment.
The 205th BDS was organized for that kind of scenario.
“What makes this iteration of Operation WIRE special is our 205th Base Defense Squadron is specifically missioned to respond to short notice deployment taskings anywhere in the world,” Morris said.
Before many deployments, defenders have to complete a readiness course at Fort Bliss, Texas. Morris said the deployment order often arrives about a month before a seat in that course opens. If the unit has to leave sooner, there is not enough time to go to Texas first.
This exercise is meant to fix that. Morris said the group is working with Headquarters Air Force and the National Guard Bureau so Operation WIRE can certify the team at home. Then, when deployment orders come, they can leave without waiting on the readiness course.
“They would basically receive the tasking, already be certified, and go out the door,” Morris said.
Observers from Fort Bliss and the National Guard Bureau were on the ground to evaluate the concept.
The 105th BDG is the first of its kind in the Air Reserve Component. Activated in December 2024 at Stewart Air National Guard Base, it split a large security forces organization into three squadrons: the 105th BDG for home-station and state missions, the 205th BDS for short-notice expeditionary defense, and the 105th SCS for training, combat arms, plans and support.
Operation WIRE is the field test of that design. It is meant to get the 205th BDS ready to deploy on short notice, instead of the mission waiting on a training course.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
