Air Fo
rce Security Forces airmen, whether active or reserve, participate in various exercises and training to stay on top of their expanded post-9/11 mission. Two recent cases in point: Phoenix Warrior and Patriot Defender—both designed to maintain skills needed to not only defend airfields and aircraft but also operate in convoys and urban environments. The Air Mobility Warfare Center-run Phoenix Warrior at Ft. Dix. N.J. was on its first iteration, providing a 13-day predeployment course that many attendees said offered more extensive training than other exercises. Air Force Reserve Command sent 100 security forces airmen to Patriot Defender at Camp Swift near Bastrop, Tex., where training days lasted 16 “rigorous” hours.
Planning an Air Show Is Hard. At Andrews, It’s Even Harder
Sept. 17, 2025
Joint Base Andrews opened its flightline this month to thousands of civilians, exposing a normally restricted airbase that regularly hosts the president and foreign dignitaries to a curious public eager to see current and historic military aircraft up close and in action.
