Bamboo Eagle puts 13th ATF combat support to the test

Published March 19, 2025
By James Bono
502nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas (AFNS) --

One part of Exercise Bamboo Eagle at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, allowed the 13th Air Task Force Command Element to demonstrate its ability to repair a runway under simulated combat conditions — another of the many challenges presented in the eight-day multinational joint exercise.

The 13th Air Task Force, based at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, trains Airmen to work as a cohesive unit before deployment. This year’s Bamboo Eagle 25-1 provided an opportunity to put their skills to the test in a high-pressure scenario: recovering airfield operations after an enemy strike.

Bamboo Eagle is designed to test and refine joint and coalition forces' ability to rapidly deploy aircraft, equipment, and personnel to airfields in contested airspace, ensuring they can sustain operations despite logistic constraints and unfamiliar territory.

13th CABS repairs runway at Tyndall AFB — Airmen assigned to the 13th Combat Air Base Squadron spreads dirt during runway repair at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., Feb. 13, 2025. The 13th Air Task Force Combat Air Base Squadron provided real-time runway repair to exercise Bamboo Eagle to create a combat-representative environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Asha Wiltshire)

“Bamboo Eagle’s mission is to create realistic combat support scenarios, but we have limitations on what we can do to an active military or civilian runway," said Col. Ben Donberg, 13th ATF commander.

To work around this, the 13th ATF Combat Air Base Squadron deployed to Tyndall AFB’s Silver Flag site in Florida. There, a simulated missile attack cratered the runway, forcing the unit to conduct rapid repairs.

"Exercises like this are critical," Donberg said. "They allow us to refine combat support strategies and measure their real impact on air operations in contested environments."

"The Silver Flag Red Horse team created the damage, and our CABS’ Airmen responded in real-time," Donberg said. "Flight operations at Bamboo Eagle were frozen until they could restore the airfield."

One aspect of the Air Task Force experiment is to see how much can be accomplished in a crisis scenario with a reduced footprint.

“The reduced team worked extremely hard to sustain 24-hour operations, which would historically require a command element with approximately 20% more personnel,” Donberg said.

Bamboo Eagle brought together over 175 aircraft and personnel from across the U.S. and allied forces, including the Royal Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Training locations spanned California, Hawaii, Florida and Guam.

As the year progresses, the 13th ATF will continue to train hard to prepare for anything that is required of them.

“The 13 ATF will build on the lessons we learned from the live, virtual, and constructive execution of Bamboo Eagle 25-1 as we look to certify our team in the live-fly participation of another Bamboo Eagle later this year,” Donberg added.

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