230909-Z-SF462-1001
U.S. Air National Guard Senior Airman Shahin Mellati, a civil engineer with the 146th Airlift Wing’s Civil Engineer Squadron, breaks down a tent during a readiness exercise at Fort Hunter-Ligget, California, September 9, 2023. The 146th’s Civil Engineering Squadron arrived at the exercise a day before the main exercise body to construct a tent city for the arriving Airmen. The exercise, also known as Crisis Beach II, was a multi-day exercise to evaluate the 146th Airlift Wing's ability to deploy, adapt, and survive in a contested environment. Airmen participating implemented many skill sets shared from other career fields to demonstrate their ability to execute the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) model, highlighting their proactive and reactive operational strategies under simulated threat timelines in order to increase survivability while generating combat power. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Michelle Ulber)