Jets roared over the Air Force Academy and parachutists floated down through Thursday’s clear skies, as cadets closely guarded their operations’ tents with airsoft guns and patrolled the woods. 

In the minds of cadets, the academy’s campus was transformed into a Japanese island for an exercise meant to simulate defending four airfields and rescuing downed airmen. 

In the scenario, Japan had asked the U.S. to defend the northern island of Hokkaido to help maintain security and ensure that aircraft could come and go from airfields, explained Col. Jennie Hall, the director of operations at the academy. Some cadets played the enemy resistance, harassing their fellows in the field with airsoft guns, she said.

The large scale and scope of the exercise allowed younger cadets to experience basics in the field, such as setting up security perimeters, while others worked in leadership roles. Still others brought more specialized skill sets to the fight from their club or majors, such as the cyber warfare taking place behind the scenes, she said. 

“The goal of the exercise is really to try to bring all the components of the USAFA enterprise. … So that everyone sees themselves in the scenario, sees what role they can play,” she said. While cadets filled most of the exercise partners’ positions, including the Colorado National Guard, F-16 pilots filled some support roles simulating close air support. 

This type of training was not offered when Hall graduated from the academy in 2001, but she expects it will help the cadets be more prepared to lead when they leave the academy. 

“We have to put them into practical experiences where they can actually experience what it would be like in an austere environment,” she said. 

Academy staff also expected to test cadets’ decision-making skills by challenging them with simulated missile attacks that would take out about half a squadron, while at the same time, rescuing downed airmen, she said. 

Cadets received guidance along the way, with more experienced airmen helping to prioritize tasks, such as taking radio traffic from troops under attack. 

Someday, lives will be at stake when those calls come through. But for now, mistakes are an opportunity to learn. 

“What we want to do is grow them into leaders and the followers that we need them to be,” Hall said.