321st AMOS mastermind Operation LATTE THUNDER

  • Published
  • By 321st Air Mobility Operations Squadron
  • 621st Contingency Response Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  

Members of the 321st Air Mobility Operations Squadron put their heads together to figure out how to plan mobility missions into contaminated areas of the Pacific during Exercise Operation LATTE THUNDER on April 3, 2025.

Adapted from Air Mobility Command’s “Fight Club,” a cross-functional team designed to conduct critical analysis of the pacing threat and close potential gaps, the 321 AMOS exercise is a tongue-in-cheek reference to an operation used in the Fight Club film.

Airlift, Air Refueling, and Aeromedical Evacuation planners analyzed the scenario to address how they might still be able to provide maneuver for the Joint warfighter in a highly contested environment. The exercise is a precursor to Home Plate, the 321 AMOS long-running internal exercise series. While Home Plates are designed to test the Masterminds’ ability to operate the Air Operations Center command and control systems, Latte Thunders test their creativity in solving “wicked problems,” those challenges that have a lot of causes, are tough to describe, and don’t have a clearcut solution

The 321 AMOS is one of two active duty AMOS squadrons in the Air Force, established 50 years ago to be AMC’s mobility command and control experts. They provide on-demand augmentation of Air Operations Centers around the world. They are qualified in operating the AOC weapons system and can jump into any Air Mobility Division to immediately provide the extra manpower the combatant command needs in times of crisis and contingency.

Exercises like LATTE THUNDER provide the Masterminds the ability to talk through tough problems, such as degraded networks, higher levels of risk, and complicated command relationships before being called to support during conflict.

“My intent was to create a product unlike anything we've table-topped before to get the team using their creative thinking to extend outside our normal scenarios,” said Capt. Christina Laporte, 321 AMOS operations flight commander. “The future fight is unique in that we don't know what to expect or the limitations it will present, so we have to be prepared for it. In a time when everything relies on technology, it's important to think about how we would function if those lines were to be cut.”

LATTE THUNDER concluded with a group debrief to review courses of action through the facts, assumptions, constraints, and restraints of the Joint Planning Process model. The members of the 321 AMOS developed a solution that enabled Rapid Global Mobility in the otherwise operationally limited environment. Energized from the experience, the exercise concluded with this Community of Ready Warriors getting together to refine learning objectives for their next exercise, better prepared to “control the fight” when the call comes.