Mission Generation Demonstration

U.S. Air Force Airman leader leads his squadron in a chant during a Combat Capability Demonstration April 16, 2024, at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. Instructors from the weapons and ammo schools engaged in a friendly competition to see which team safely assembled and loaded weapons on an F-15, F-16 or A-10 fastest, in a demonstration designed to show Airmen in Training the mission generation process for both Ammo and Weapons. (U.S. Air Force photo by Rachel Ross)

Mission Generation Demonstration

U.S. Air Force A-10 armament load crew transports an AIM-9L/M to load onto an A-10 during a Combat Capability Demonstration April 16, 2024, at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. Instructors from the weapons and ammo schools engaged in a friendly competition to see which team safely assembled and loaded weapons on an F-15, F-16 or A-10 fastest, in a demonstration designed to show Airmen in Training the mission generation process for both Ammo and Weapons. (U.S. Air Force photo by Rachel Ross)

Mission Generation Demonstration

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Seth Blackwood, 363rd Training Squadron Aircraft Armament instructor, prepares GBU-38 for loading onto the B-52 during a Combat Capability Demonstration April 16, 2024, at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. Instructors from the weapons and ammo schools engaged in a friendly competition to see which team safely assembled and loaded weapons on an F-15, F-16 or A-10 fastest, in a demonstration designed to show Airmen in Training the mission generation process for both Ammo and Weapons. (U.S. Air Force photo by Rachel Ross)

Mission Generation Demonstration

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Braxton Love prepares an F-16 for crew arrival during a Combat Capability Demonstration April 16, 2024, at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. Instructors from the weapons and ammo schools engaged in a friendly competition to see which team safely assembled and loaded weapons on an F-15, F-16 or A-10 fastest, in a demonstration designed to show Airmen in Training the mission generation process for both Ammo and Weapons. (U.S. Air Force photo by Rachel Ross)

Mission Generation Demonstration

U.S. Air Force Crew Chief performs an intake inspection on an F-15 during a Combat Capability Demonstration April 16, 2024, at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. Instructors from the weapons and ammo schools engaged in a friendly competition to see which team safely assembled and loaded weapons on an F-15, F-16 or A-10 fastest, in a demonstration designed to show Airmen in Training the mission generation process for both Ammo and Weapons. (U.S. Air Force photo by Rachel Ross)

Mission Generation Demonstration

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Seth Blackwood, 363rd Training Squadron Aircraft Armament instructor, performs a bomb rack prep on a B-52 MAU-12 during a Combat Capability Demonstration April 16, 2024, at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. Instructors from the weapons and ammo schools engaged in a friendly competition to see which team safely assembled and loaded weapons on an F-15, F-16 or A-10 fastest, in a demonstration designed to show Airmen in Training the mission generation process for both Ammo and Weapons. (U.S. Air Force photo by Rachel Ross)

Mission Generation Demonstration showcases mission-ready skills

Published May 8, 2024
By Julie Svoboda
82nd Training Wing Public Affairs

SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --

The 363rd Training Squadron hosted a Mission Generation Demonstration April 16, 2024, here. Instructors from the ammunition schoolhouse collaborated with instructors from other schoolhouses to showcase how crew chiefs, petroleum, oil and lubricants, ammunition and weapons work together to get an aircraft mission ready.

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VIDEO | 02:03 | Mission Generation Expo 2024

Sitting on bleachers under a blue sky, Airmen in Training watched as instructors from different career fields demonstrated real-world operations that had been theory up to this point. For some AiTs, this could be the only time in their careers they will witness the steps needed to get an aircraft mission ready.

“A weapons troop might never actually see ammo building the bombs,” Maj. Kevin Huwel, 363rd TRS Commander said. “A weapon and ammo troop are probably never going to see petroleum, oil and lubricants Airmen fueling an aircraft during a generation, and even a crew chief is probably never going to see an ammo troop building bombs back in the background. So, this allows them to kind of realize, ‘Hey, this is truly what it takes, and it's not as easy as it might seem.’ A bomb does doesn’t just come out of a box. There are multiple components that are going to be put together to make that happen. And then, on a jet, you just don't flip a couple of switches and lo and behold, it works. You’ve got to have a running jet. So, there's a lot that it takes an account.”

To Huwel, this type of demonstration is a way to break down silos between career fields early in Air Force careers to prepare them for working in an operational environment.

“We need this understanding of, ‘Hey, I could actually help out with that when I get to my next base.’ Instead of thinking ‘Oh, I'm just a crew chief or I'm just weapons,’ they can say ‘I've seen a little bit of what you're able to do. How can we work together to make this happen more seamlessly in the future?’”

According to Staff Sgt. Dalton Boyd, F-15 Armament Instructor, the Mission Generation Demonstration is not only instructional; it’s also a morale booster.

“Any time we can, we take the chance to give back time to the students and show them what it would be like out there operationally,” Boyd said. “We tried to do that here. The instructors are very excited to show what the job is. They usually only get to tell stories or show videos to their students. They're practicing and applying what they've learned in tech school, but the students never really get to see it in action until they go to their next base. So, I feel like everyone is very excited about it.”

Boyd and other 82nd Training Wing instructors are committed to finding innovative ways to improve training to make it more interactive, attention-grabbing and meaningful. The Mission Generation Demonstration was no exception, and Huwel gave them credit for the successful event, saying they communicated across squadrons to plan and coordinate the event.

“This level of communication between squadrons may not have happened before,” he said. “I think that's a big win for Team Sheppard to be able to say, ‘Hey, we're starting to do this homegrown at the instructor level.’”

The 363rd TRS is planning the next Mission Generation Demonstration and hopes to include more equipment and career fields.