By Matthew Holloway |
Members of the 11th Air Task Force (ATF) returned home to Arizona on Dec. 17, 2025, concluding the unit’s first deployment in support of operations and integration efforts in the Indo-Pacific region, just in time for Christmas.
Christmas came early for families, friends, and members of the 355th Wing as Airmen arrived at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base after a nearly six-month deployment to the Pacific, including missions in Saipan, the Republic of Korea, and Guam, according to the U.S. Air Force.
The 11th ATF was the first U.S. Air Force (USAF) task force activated and deployed under a broader effort to create more agile, mission-ready Air Task Force units as part of force modernization and operational flexibility. Airmen from multiple bases comprised the task force, though those assigned to Davis-Monthan were among the last to return home.
Upon arrival in Arizona, Davis-Monthan leadership, base support personnel, fellow Airmen, family members, and friends greeted the returning service members. During the welcome home events, Airmen reunited with loved ones and were recognized for successfully completing the extended deployment.
Col. Brett Cassidy, commander of the 11th ATF, said the deployment challenged Airmen to embrace mission-ready concepts and demonstrated the unit’s capability to adapt and succeed amid dynamic mission requirements. The task force’s early return also allowed many Airmen to spend the holiday season with their families.
“The 11th ATF team performed exceptionally throughout this entire deployment,” Cassidy said in the USAF release.
“Our mission changed while we were out here, and that’s actually a good thing, because it allowed us to demonstrate our ability to adjust on the fly. That’s not typically something we get to see on deployment. It was phenomenal watching the Airmen adjust as the mission changed to achieve success. The biggest lesson from this time was that if you set up the team with the proper authorities and capabilities, and you let them train as a team so they come together and understand one another, they’re incredibly capable of getting after dynamic missions. We saw that out here, and it was a huge success for the Air Force.”
Established in July 2024 as one of six task forces across the Air Force, the 11th ATF was activated to provide rapidly deployable, integrated forces capable of contingency response and mission generation. Its inaugural deployment was billed as a milestone in testing the task force model, which emphasizes cohesive unit training and operational employment.
The return of the 11th Air Task Force highlights the evolving structure of U.S. Air Force deployments. It underscores Davis-Monthan AFB’s role as a key hub in Arizona for agile force generation and global operations.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
