BUCKLEY SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. – The 140th Wing executed Exercise Centennial Strike, a simulated rapid mobilization of the Mission Generation Force Element and a regeneration of deployed aircraft, June 5-8, 2025.
This exercise aimed to prepare for impending Contingency Response Force taskings, utilizing Multi-Capable Airmen. The focus was on validating the 140th Wing’s ability to generate combat-ready F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command theater of operations while testing core Mission Essential Tasks in response to a near-peer threat as defined in the National Defense Strategy.
“Exercise Centennial Strike proved that the 140th Wing is prepared to rapidly mobilize, generate combat power, and operate in a contested environment against a near-peer threat,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Carrie Worrell, commander, 140th Wing. “Our personnel demonstrated resilience, adaptability, and mission focus under a tremendous amount of stress—validating our capability to test operational readiness to support Indo-Pacific Command and execute our nation’s defense strategy.”
Throughout the exercise, operations were opposed by forces including unconventional attacks aimed to disorient members, small Unmanned Aerial Systems , and challenges like cyber-attacks. These tested the 140th Wing’s readiness and operational agility in a contested and degraded environment within a simulated high-end conflict scenario.
“I think we were able to keep the exercise moving along and make some game-time decisions to avoid critical failures,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. James Edwards, commander, 140th Operations Support Squadron. “We were successful at keeping simulated action from taking too much of a toll on what we were trying to accomplish in the real world.”
Exercise Centennial Strike incorporated the entire 140th Wing, ranging from the Civil Engineering Squadron, the 140th Logistics Readiness Squadron, and the 140th Security Forces Squadron to the 140th Medical Group, the 140th Operations Group, and the 140th Maintenance Group. Under an increased full-spectrum readiness framework, all base personnel were challenged under relevant and likely conditions they could potentially encounter in an armed conflict.
“There were so many different real-world happenings and injects that we just had to work through as a team, talk through it together,” explained U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Kendra Fuller, unit deployment manager for the exercise. “Ultimately, we succeeded. We got a whole bunch of personnel out the door and a whole bunch of equipment out the door.”
Exercise Centennial Strike exemplified the 140th Wing’s goal of being a cohesive and lethal Air National Guard combat wing, ready for both warfighting and domestic response. This exercise served as a tangible demonstration of the Wing’s commitment to operational readiness, tactical proficiency, and strategic integration across missions, according to U.S. Air Force Maj. Meghan Strabala, inspector general, 140th Wing. By rigorously training in realistic, high-intensity scenarios, the 140th Wing sharpened its combat edge while reinforcing its capacity to respond rapidly and effectively to domestic contingencies, advancing its overarching goal of providing a mission-ready, resilient, and lethal force—prepared to meet challenges today and tomorrow.