HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- The 75th Air Base Wing conducted Bison Forge 25-1 Dec. 10 to evaluate its ability to detect, overcome and execute mission requirements under challenging conditions.
The exercise marked the start of a series of readiness events carrying into 2026, including a Air Force Materiel Command Combat Readiness Inspection scheduled for February and additional exercises leading up to the Hill Air Show June 27-28.
“Bison Forge 25-1 was another exercise designed to sharpen the sword—to forge readiness—not just to prepare the 75th for AFMC’s Combat Readiness Inspection, but to ensure we are more than ready for any challenge or threat,” said Col. Dan Cornelius, 75th ABW commander. “Our mission is to generate and enable readiness and our Bison Forge schedule is designed to deliberately ratchet up rigor, realism, and complexity with each successive exercise to ensure we are ready whenever our nation calls.”
That focus on readiness carried into Bison Forge 25-1, where inspectors emphasized the importance of evaluating how the wing responds in real-world scenarios.
“Our goal was to ensure Team Hill can detect, overcome, and execute in challenging environments,” said Chris Walker, 75th ABW Inspector General director of inspections. “Detect and report potentially real-world threats to the right teams to take the right action. Overcome the threat by using critical thinking and refined methodical approaches. Lastly execute, because our folks are the A-team that gets called to put aircraft and Airmen in action.”
The Bison Forge 25-1 scenario included a small drone incursion reported by base personnel, underscoring the importance of vigilance and communication across the installation. Command, control and communication were evident throughout the day, Walker said, and each member of Team Hill acted as a sensor in reporting threats.
During the exercise, security forces, emergency management, fire and emergency services, bioenvironmental engineering, the Hill command post, force support, medical and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations all participated, while the crisis action team and emergency operations center worked through command-and-control scenarios.
Walker said exercises like Bison Forge strengthen collaboration across the installation.
“It enables organizations to work with other organizations towards a common goal in a dynamic environment,” he said. “Every time we get an opportunity to practice what we do, it allows us to strengthen our core skills and teamwork.”
Walker said that while exercises can’t perfectly mirror every real-world condition, they are designed to prepare Airmen to respond with the same readiness and seriousness as if those conditions were real. A best practice is for Airmen to “respond and react to the information presented as if the scenario is the real deal,” Walker said.
The exercise also allowed Hill to validate its strengths while targeting areas for continued improvement.
Capt. Tyler Moore, 75th Air Base Wing readiness chief and crisis action team director, said the event strengthened the wing’s readiness by sharpening command and control and practicing follow through actions that are often overlooked in shorter exercises.
“The biggest successes from the exercise were not the things we already knew we could do well, but the lessons we learned about the areas we need to improve in,” said Moore. “I was very impressed with our team’s ability to integrate new processes into existing command and control and pull it off successfully.”
Moore said deliberate training events like this build confidence in the wing’s readiness and ensure Hill personnel are prepared for real-world missions.
Bison Forge 25-1 added momentum to the wing’s ongoing readiness campaign, which in the near term culminates with a Combat Readiness Inspection in February and the Hill Air Show in June.
“Any time our Airmen can get reps in performing tasks, whether it’s something they’ve seen before or something new, it builds on their knowledge and most importantly, on their individual and team confidence,” Walker said.