AFSOC exercise brings concept created for great-power conflict to the Caribbean
Last month, U.S. forces “seized” a St. Croix airport in a demonstration of the Agile Combat Employment maneuver scheme.
Thomas Novelly | September 18, 2025
Air Force National Guard Americas
A recent special-operations exercise in the Caribbean showcased an Air Force operating concept designed to counter near-peer militaries—and, experts said, might be a message to unfriendly governments and criminal groups in the Americas.
On Aug. 30, special operations airmen from the Kentucky National Guard stormed the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on the island of St. Croix. Troops parachuted into the Caribbean Sea with an inflatable boat and more pararescuemen floated onto the airfield; together, they quickly took over the grounds and established a U.S.-controlled base for cargo planes to land and deliver resources.
“Within minutes, the Airmen had cleared the runways, established perimeter security and implemented air traffic control, allowing the C-130 to land and offload crucial assets,” Air Force Special Operations Command detailed in the release earlier this month.
The mock takeover—part of AFSOC’s larger, long-planned Emerald Warrior exercise— showcased the service’s Agile Combat Employment scheme of maneuver. Under ACE, airmen rapidly set up small operating bases in combat zones anywhere at a moment’s notice to evade long-range missile attacks. Service leaders and doctrine have described ACE as a necessary counter to anti-access and area-denial tactics developed by China, Russia, and others. Its rollout has seen hiccups; a Rand Corporation report earlier this year detailed “confusion” among airmen and units working to implement the concept.
https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2025/09/afsoc-exercise-brings-concept-created-great-power-conflict-caribbean/408205/?oref=d1-homepage-river
