521st Air Mobility Operations Wing Hosts Inaugural Mobility Vanguard

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt Nathan Roe
  • 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  The 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing hosted its inaugural Mobility Vanguard at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, April 23-25, 2025, which consisted of 22 aircraft maintenance and aerial port teams from 14 locations throughout the Air Force as well as teams from Germany, the Netherlands and observers from Spain.

Held over several days, Mobility Vanguard put mobility Airmen through a gauntlet of evaluations reflecting the core responsibilities of their respective career fields.

Aerial port teams were challenged with events including loading and unloading passenger bags, loading and unloading pallets of cargo and a 10K forklift driving course. Simultaneously, maintenance teams were tasked with changing the nose tire on a C-17 Globemaster III, a knowledge test and performing pre- and post-flight landing gear inspections all while managing fatigue, time pressure, and environmental stressors. The final day involved a combat fitness challenge that tested strength and endurance of all participating teams.

“The [Mobility] Vanguard represents our vision for the future of air mobility: pioneering new tactics, techniques, and procedures to meet the emerging threat landscape,” said Col. Jordan Norman, 521st AMOW commander.

Mobility Vanguard is the reframing of what was once the Mobility Rodeos, which date back to 1956 with the first Troop Carrier Rodeo. Over the years the rodeos evolved and expanded in scope and participation but have always served as a vital training ground for Airmen.

“That's why we've rebranded this event as the Mobility Vanguard,” Norman said. “While we retain the core values and traditions of the Rodeo, this evolution signifies our commitment to advancing our warfighting readiness, enhancing our tactical and technical proficiency, and preparing our teams to win.”

Mobility Vanguard aimed to bring teams from across the globe together for an opportunity to share best practices and ensure that the mission of Rapid Global Mobility is constantly being refined and improved across units and partner nations.

Lt. Gen. Rebecca Sonkiss, AMC deputy commander, reaffirmed this focus during her closing remarks to participants.

“Mobility Vanguard isn't just a competition; It is a critical exercise and an anchoring event for the Global Air Mobility Support System,” Sonkiss said. “You advanced the readiness of our Mission Ready Airmen with realistic scenarios under the pressure of time. We left little room for error & you set the standard of no errors as a team.”
 
With plans to expand future iterations of the event, Mobility Vanguard represents a new standard in readiness training that not only tests capability but fosters connection, innovation, and a shared focus on winning the fight before it begins.

Inaugural Mobility Vanguard Participating Teams:

721st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Germany

721st Aerial Port Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
  • 1st place for Aerial Port events
724th Air Mobility Squadron, Aviano Air Base, Italy

725th Air Mobility Squadron, Naval Station Rota, Spain

726th Air Mobility Squadron, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany

727th Air Mobility Squadron, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, United Kingdom

728th Air Mobility Squadron, Incirlik Air Base, Türkiye
  • 3rd place for Maintenance events
60th Aerial Port Squadron, Travis Air Force Base, California

62nd Aerial Port Squadron, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington

86th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Germany

305th Aerial Port Squadron, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey
  • 2nd place for Aerial Port events
305th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey
  • Mobility Vanguard Champion
  • 1st place for Maintenance events
436th Aerial Port Squadron, Dover Air Force Base, Delaware

436th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Dover Air Force Base, Delaware

437th Aerial Port Squadron, Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina
  • 3rd place for Aerial Port events
621st Contingency Response Support Squadron, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey

715th Air Mobility Operations Group, JB Hickam, Hawaii

860th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Travis Air Force Base, California
  • 2nd place for Maintenance events
163rd Logistics Battalion ROSM, German Logistics Team, Burg Germany

940th Squadron, Air Mobility Command, Eindhoven Air Base, Netherlands