Fairchild Air Force Base demonstrates rapid generation capabilities during Royal Flush

Capt. Jacob Woodcock, a KC-135 Stratotanker pilot assigned to the 97th Air Refueling Squadron, conducts a flight checklist over the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, during exercise Royal Flush, May 3, 2024. Aircrews traveled from Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, to Alaska to conduct airfield surveys at various locations and evaluate their sustainability for potential KC-135 missions. Royal Flush was a two-part Air Mobility Command readiness exercise that evaluated the ability to rapidly respond and execute mobility fundamentals and non-standard techniques to provide global mobility at a moment’s notice. During the second part of the exercise, Team Fairchild demonstrated the ability to rapidly deploy aircraft, cargo and personnel to an unfamiliar location and immediately resumed and sustained air refueling operations without traditional support elements. This exercise demonstrated how AMC forces prepare, posture and present ready air mobility forces to support national security objectives. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Clare Werner)