3rd AS completes AFFORGEN certification Published Jan. 8, 2026 By Senior Airman Trenten Walters 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- The 3rd Airlift Squadron participated in Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC) 26-01 as part of its Air Force Force Generation (AFFORGEN) certification event at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Nov. 3–19. JPMRC 26-01 is one of the Department of Defense’s largest exercises in the Indo-Pacific region and evaluated the 3rd AS’s ability to execute Air Mobility Command capabilities, enhance total force and joint interoperability, and operate in a high-threat environment. Approximately 125 Airmen from Dover Air Force Base forward deployed with the 3rd AS, including members from the 436th Operational Support Squadron, 736th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 436th Logistics Readiness Squadron and the 436th Maintenance Squadron. The squadron also hosted additional units from March Air Reserve Base, Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. This combined, integrated package of aircrew, operations, equipment and maintenance personnel comprised the 3rd Mission Generation Force Element (MGFE), which provides all the necessary functions to sustain air mobility capabilities from an expeditionary air base. “This exercise tested our squadron’s ability to work with international partners and operate in contested environments such as GPS-degraded conditions,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Charles Clayton, 3rd AS pilot. “This was crucial for certification and preparation for near-peer operations and we successfully demonstrated our ability to deploy as a Force Element comprising many career fields and backgrounds while generating an impressive amount of airlift in a deployed environment.” The 3rd MGFE demonstrated proficiency in airbridge operations and passenger floor loading aboard the C-17 Globemaster III, providing approximately 85% of the airlift for the entire exercise. The team also executed critical fuel operations supporting long-range maritime assault missions, including wet-wing defueling from a C-17 to a fuel truck to refuel fighter aircraft. The 3rd MGFE also integrated with U.S. Army elements, leading to the first successful completion of a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) dry-fire exercise for the 25th Infantry Division to Wake Island. “We were able to put together a plan for the 25th ID to go out and validate their training on the HIMARS system and test our capability to deliver those effects as rapidly as possible,” said Tech. Sgt. Jared Soucy, 3rd AS instructor loadmaster. The integration of joint force operations enhanced the effectiveness of the exercise by providing training opportunities in communication and mission planning. “The fight that we're fighting is inherently joint international so while air power is great, we can't do it alone,” Clayton said. “So it’s important to get out there and actually work with those joint partners, and see how they operate and how we can integrate with them.” The two-week-long exercise concluded with the 3rd AS moving more than 2.4 million pounds of cargo and 2,200 passengers in 196 flight hours. The unit also achieved a 95% completion rate of its desired learning objectives, the highest rate in the past 15 years. “I think there are a lot of good learning points that came out of this,” Clayton said. “Obviously, when you're moving this many people halfway around the world to go execute a mission, there are things that you've learned that you can do better and there are things that we executed very well on. So I think for the 3rd MGFE, this was an excellent opportunity for us to take some of those skills that we've trained and hone them for a near-peer operation.”