CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. -- 
From left, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. John Rueger, commander, 35th Infantry Division; U.S. Army Col. Mike McCoy, deputy commander; 35th ID; U.S. Air Force Staff Sgts. Nacie Calarco, Luke Morrison, and Nathaniel Vice, 284th Air Support Operations Squadron; and U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Robert Istas, command sergeant major, 35th ID. Calarco, Morrison, and Vice were awarded the Army Achievement Medal for their contributions during Exercise Warfighter 25-5, Camp Atterbury, Indiana, August 2025. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by the 284th Air Support Operations Squadron)
Airmen assigned to the 284th Air Support Operations Squadron, Kansas Air National Guard, completed Exercise Warfighter 25-5 at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, July – August 2025. The Airmen supported the U.S. Army’s 35th Infantry Division, Kansas National Guard, during the multi-national, multi-domain, large-scale exercise.
Warfighter 25-5 was a division-level, joint command and control exercise where the 284th ASOS supported the Joint Air Ground Integration Cell (JAGIC) to integrate fixed wing air support with the Army division commander’s ground scheme of maneuver.
This 24-hour a day / 10-day long exercise stressed the military decision-making process as well as the joint planning process. It simulated large-scale combat operations and challenged leaders to refine critical decision making and mission command in a dynamic digital environment.
Multiple 284th ASOS members directly briefed the division commanding generals on the current and next days close air support assets. The Airmen also requested and controlled more than 70 airborne strike and electronic warfare assets to shape the battlefield in a highly contested, multi-division combat scenario.
Multiple members were coined by the 35th ID commanding general, and they were nominated for Army awards that were recommended by Army command staff. The 284th ASOS plans to support another Warfighter exercise in 2026 with the 35th ID, further strengthening the joint relationship between the Kansas National Guard entities.
From left, U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Davis, 284th Air Support Operations Squadron; U.S. Army Maj. Gen. John Rueger, commander, 35th Infantry Division, and U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Rob Istas, command sergeant major, 35th ID. Davis was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for his contributions during Exercise Warfighter 25-5, Camp Atterbury, Indiana, August 2025. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by the 284th Air Support Operations Squadron)