Alaska Air National Guard Airmen from Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson lifted off this week for Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, where they are taking part in FISGA RAIN, a new Indo-Pacific exercise designed to test contested communications across air, land, and sea during rescue and multi-domain operations.
Airmen from the 176th Communications Squadron—a unit that only became a full squadron in 2024—are leading the communications portion of the mission.
They will assemble and operate agile networks that link aircraft, ground components, and maritime rescue partners across Guam, replicating real-world environments where communications are degraded or under threat. The squadron has become known for its expeditionary capabilities, including field satellite systems and secure digital signaling, all of which are essential for modern combat search-and-rescue operations in the Indo-Pacific.
Supporting the exercise is the 144th Airlift Squadron, whose C-17 Globemaster III crews conducted a direct deployment from JBER to Guam. The trans-Pacific flight underscores the unique ability of the Alaska Air National Guard to project power over vast distances, more than 3,500 miles in this case, and deliver personnel and equipment straight into a forward operating hub without relying on intermediate staging bases.
Andersen Air Force Base, located on the northern tip of the US territory of Guam, serves as a strategic anchor for US Indo-Pacific Command. It hosts numerous joint and multinational exercises each year as the United States works with regional partners to strengthen deterrence and maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The Alaska Air National Guard has a growing footprint in the region. In April 2024, more than 700 Airmen from the 176th Wing participated in Exercise Agile Reaper at Andersen AFB, testing expeditionary skills, airlift operations, and communications resiliency across five locations in Guam and the broader Pacific.
The new FISGA RAIN exercise builds on that foundation, but adds a more advanced focus on communications in contested environments, an area where the 176th Communications Squadron has become increasingly critical.
Airmen from the 176th Communications Squadron—a unit that only became a full squadron in 2024—are leading the communications portion of the mission “in partnership with with Alaska Guardsmen from the 176 Air Defense Squadron and 168th Communications Flight.”
