ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam — The first-ever contested communication joint exercise in Pacific Air Forces Command, Exercise FIGSA RAIN 2025, was held on Andersen Air Force Base, Guam Dec. 8 – 11.
FISGA RAIN was designed to evaluate and improve the ability of participating units to establish and maintain communication networks in a contested environment.
“Exercise FISGA RAIN was initiated by our unit and follows the RAIN exercise series that the 1st Combat Communication Squadron (CBCS) and 5th CBCS currently hold, focusing on contested communications in different scenarios,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Alexander Shin, commander for Exercise FISGA RAIN.
The exercise focuses on emphasizing adaptability, survivability and interoperability with joint partners.
“In U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, the 644th CBCS must be prepared to work with joint partners on dispersed tropical islands where communications, logistics, and manpower may be denied, degraded, intermittent, and/or limited. Building on these partnerships and sharing expeditionary communication tactics techniques, and procedures (TTPs), shooting, moving, and communicating, is the key to ensure mission success for whatever we are called to do,” Shin said.
More than 10units from six bases in the Indo-Pacific Command theater were deployed to Guam for FISGA RAIN 2025, to include the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Marines and U.S. Air National Guard.
The exercise consisted of establishing communication efforts providing the members an experience in an environment different from their normal area of responsibility (AOR) while honing agile combat employment capabilities.
“Working within this theater presents unique challenges, and we have to be adaptable to meet our mission objectives,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Christopher Panalez, director for Exercise FISGA RAIN.
Service members were tested on their ability to adapt in situations where additional supplies and equipment are limited, forcing innovative solutions to problems that may be encountered in this AOR.
Teams were tasked to support each other with available equipment and manpower when operational capabilities are degraded or denied.
“We have people troubleshooting, making the calls that they need and subject matter experts are giving us good tips and tricks to help get our reps and sets,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Khalid Huddleston, the radio keying logic and communication fly away kit team lead for Exercise FISGA RAIN.
During FISGA RAIN 2025, groups were isolated in different areas away from support and were operating with limited expeditionary communication kits such as portable systems, designed to provide network, voice, and data access in austere environments.
“At the 644th CBCS, we train with expeditionary communication kits, and it is a unique opportunity to share the knowledge and skills that we have with our joint partners,” said Tech. Sgt. Joseph Spalo, lead planner for Exercise FISGA RAIN.
Mission injects were applied throughout the exercise supporting joint all-domain operations with members executing small team tactics, night land navigation, and water and search rescue to name a few.
“This was a great opportunity to have a truly focused communication exercise, where we got to run through our pace with our primary and alternate contingency sets of communications,” Spalo said. “We were able to test new waveforms, try new things and develop new TTPs to be more robust with our methods within our area of responsibility.”
Exercises like FISGA RAIN build interoperable and resilient joint forces throughout the region and improve the wing’s ability to provide rapid response and security across the Indo-Pacific.
- Published
- By 1st Lt. Dionessis Valdisimo
- 36th Wing
