DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- The 317th Airlift Wing empowered the 40th iteration of Exercise Balikatan, the largest annual military exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. military, with tactical airlift across the Philippines, April 17 to May 7, 2025.
The 317th AW accelerated land and maritime force movements by inserting strategic equipment, weapon systems and fuel for Exercise Balikatan’s first Full Battle Test, a Philippines defense simulation in the event of crisis or conflict, to validate a rapid, ready and capable Indo-Pacific response.
“The 317th Airlift Wing’s mission is simple: ‘We’re Going,’” said Col. Justin Diehl, 317th AW commander. “Through our Joint Leadership Development Program and our complex training flights, our Airmen are prepared to always execute demanding missions in any environment. Balikatan 25 allowed our Airmen to experience first-hand how to rapidly deploy, integrate with the Joint Force in hours and execute some of the most complex missions at the leading edge.”
To open Balikatan 25, three C-130J Super Hercules, assigned to the 39th Airlift Squadron, completed Maximum Endurance Operations utilizing external fuel tanks from Dyess AFB, Texas, to Clark Air Base, Philippines. MEOs allow the 317th AW to deliver tactical airlift beyond standard reach by flying C-130Js across the world with minimal fuel stops. The 317th AW flew Air Mobility Command’s first C-130J MEO with external fuel tanks from Dyess AFB to Andersen AFB, Guam, in April 2024 in just 26 hours and 33 minutes.
“Maximum Endurance Operations enable the Airmen and aircraft of the 317th Airlift Wing to rapidly deploy into theater,” said Lt. Col. John Adam, 39th Airlift Squadron commander. “By overflying our overnight crew rest stops, we can deploy in response to the Combatant Commander’s orders much faster. Whether it is MEO or any other C-130J tactic, we respond to the needs of the supported user.”
Upon arrival to the Philippines, the 317th AW integrated with the AFP and U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific to coordinate the first-ever transport of a Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System to Basco Airfield, Batan Island, Philippines. The NMESIS is a ground-based anti-ship missile capability for lethal and precise fires in contested environments.
“Airlifting NMESIS to Batan Island and HIMARS to Palawan Island showcased to America’s allies and partners that we have the ability to quickly respond to multidomain threats with defensive forces,” said Adam. “Combined with MEOs, the 317th AW demonstrates that Joint maneuver is not limited by ships crossing the Pacific. We can quickly arrive in theater and deliver combat units to the point of need.”
To overcome the challenges of island-to-island airlift, the 317th AW planned and executed training specifically for the Indo-Pacific terrain. The Batanes island chain sits in the Luzon Strait, roughly 150 miles north of the Philippines mainland. As outlined in the National Defense Strategy, the area is critical for safeguarding freedom of navigation and overflight, ensuring the unimpeded flow of goods and services, and advocating for the peaceful resolution of disputes in the region.
“The airport on Batan Island is the most challenging at which I’ve ever landed a C-130J,” said Adam. “The runway is one-way in, one-way out, has a slope of 4%, with a small hill on short final approach and a 2,000-foot volcano at the departure end. By airlifting combat units into these islands to protect the Strait, the 317th AW is giving the allied forces a significant advantage in air and maritime operations in this critical region.”
Then, the 317th AW continued Indo-Pacific reach as the sole provider for the USMC 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment’s fuel needs with Specialized Fueling Operations. SFOs are used when on-site ground crews transfer fuel from a mobility aircraft to another expeditionary fuel bladder, fuel truck, or fighter aircraft.
“At austere combat outposts that are cut off from ground resupply routes, we have employed SFOs to deliver the JP-8 fuel that fuels the Special Forces’ ground vehicles and generators,” said Adam. “In Exercise Balikatan, we used SFOs to upload cargo and refuel our C-130J at the same time, cutting ground times in half so we could complete more cargo runs between 3d MLR outposts within our crew duty days.”
Every event within Balikatan 25 was designed to build warfighting readiness and strengthen alliances with enhanced tactics, techniques, and procedures across a wide range of military operations.
“Balikatan 25 demonstrated to our Airmen and the Joint Force that we can exponentially reduce warfighting timelines and advance critical capabilities,” said Diehl. “The 317th AW will continue to advance new schemes of maneuver with the Marines and Army, as well as develop new tactics to employ in the Indo-Pacific through more large-scale exercises overseas and robust training every day in the United States.”
The 317th Airlift Wing advances global tactical airlift with an innovation-forward posture that is prepared to “Gain By Hazard” anytime, anywhere.