EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- Exercise Golden Raven 18-01 was a unique opportunity for the 354th Fighter Wing to integrate with the 168th Wing (WG) and conduct a training exercise that supported the Tanker Task Force mission, as well as to deploy personnel and cargo in support of contingency operations. This was the sixth operational readiness exercise conducted on Eielson since October 2017.

There were three distinct phases personnel navigated through and each phase had the overarching goal of maintaining a state of readiness for all the Airmen on Eielson.

“The men and women of the 168th WG exercised with the 354th Flight Wing (FW) to ensure our readiness”, said Col. Richard Adams, the 168th WG vice commander. “Team Eielson trains together so that we get maximum effectiveness out of the exercise.”

The exercise was scheduled to take place April 7-13 and was the first exercise in years for Eielson that integrates both the active duty and guard sides of the base.

"The integration between the 354 FW and 168 WG is critical to maximizing the potential of today's Total Force," said Col. Shawn Anger, the 354th FW vice commander. "In real-world deployments, we regularly integrate active duty personnel with guard and reserve personnel. Therefore, conducting a Total Force exercise increases our cohesion and overall mission readiness."

Overall, conducting large scale exercises at small bases ensures the entire base is mission focused and ready to deploy.