375th Airmen represent AMC in ‘Readiness Challenge X’

Members from the 375th Civil Engineer Squadron participate in a ruck on Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, April 12, 2024. Airmen from the 375th CES and 375th Force Support Squadron are preparing for Readiness Challenge X happening later this month. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Stephanie Henry)

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375th Airmen represent AMC in ‘Readiness Challenge X’

Published April 26, 2024
By Senior Airmen Stephanie Henry
375th Air Mobility Command

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --

Airmen from the 375th Civil Engineer and Force Support Squadrons are gearing up to represent all of Air Mobility Command in the Air Force’s Readiness Challenge X held on Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, April 21-26.

Forty-five Airmen will demonstrate their skills and capabilities, striving to meet the evolving needs of the mission in a contested and limited environment, as they compete against 11 other teams. This exercise is also designed to search for gaps in readiness competencies through a full spectrum of Integrated Base Response and Recovery actions.

Airmen put up a Small Shelter System tent. — Airmen from the 375th Civil Engineer Squadron and the 375th Force Support Squadron put up a Small Shelter System tent on Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, April 10, 2024. Later this month, Airmen from the 375th CES and 375th FSS will travel to Florida to compete in Readiness Challenge X. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Stephanie Henry)

They’ve been training for months, and Capt. Alexander Baldwin, 375th CES, said he has seen this team develop from 45 individuals, representing 14 career fields, into one united team.

“I've seen them grow a lot in terms of their camaraderie and their confidence, not only in themselves, but each other. Just seeing the team come together collectively, daunting as it was, they're fully integrated. Training together; Working out together; I'm excited to keep that going and see our job skills grow to the point where we are competent and confident in every single area that we might be tasked to perform,” he said.

For the last three months, they collectively put in 2.9K training hours, rehearsed almost 50 events including Small Shelter System tent setup, Rapid Explosive Hazard Mitigation, and Aircraft Access and Recovery. Even video calls were set up with training Subject Matter Experts from different bases for a virtual walk-through of equipment not readily available.

Baldwin said they are all learning new things, from the lowest to the highest ranking Airman. With a variety of comfort levels, learning new skills and proficiencies has expanded each of the team’s capabilities as warfighter Airmen.

Airmen learn M4 weapon system specifics. — U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Chase Henry, 375th Civil Engineer Squadron engineering journeyman, and Airman 1st Class Tracey Barnes, 375th CES ops management journeyman, learn M4 specifics on Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, April 9, 2024. Later this month, 45 hand-selected Airmen from the 375th CES and 375th Force Support Squadron will travel to Florida to compete in Readiness Challenge X. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Stephanie Henry)

The anticipated Florida weather is playing an important part in how these Airmen are preparing their minds and bodies, as well.

“Weather is one of the reasons we're focusing so much on that physical fitness side of training as well. It's not just job skills. You have to be ready to push through a week-long competition, and you will be exhausted mentally and physically by the end of this week,” he added.

An Operational Support Team, or OST, has been embedded in their unit to put together a detailed, dedicated workout training plan for the team that included cardio, weightlifting, and rucks.

Tech. Sgt. Melvin Contes, 375th CES electrical systems craftsman, said, “We feel ready. We train hard. We work hard. We put in countless hours of dedication, not just to ourselves, but as a team as a whole.”

Baldwin explained that Scott was nominated for RC X by other AMC wings, promoting them as the best Airmen and warfighters to represent the command collectively. These Airmen were seen performing well during the Belligerent Badger and Cardinal Sword exercises which all focused on readiness training.

“The time and effort dedicated to training for this is all to develop the force–to make sure we are ‘Multi-Ready Airmen.’ We want to develop our Airmen to be the best qualified, capable individuals they can be. That's how we as the Air Force become unstoppable.”

Be sure to stay tuned on the Scott Air Force Base social media pages for updates.