With a commitment to spiritual care and human connection in times of need, chaplains from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and United States Air Force (USAF) worked together to provide ministry support on Exercise Mobility Guardian.
Over the past 18 months, Air Force command chaplains from Australia, the United States, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have been working together to establish the Allied Chaplaincy Partnership.
This year, the command chaplains started meeting online every six weeks to collaborate on an allied chaplaincy preparedness model. This model facilitates rapid integration into each other's force to maximise support effects to aviators.
Mobility Guardian 2025 was the first exercise opportunity since the Allied Chaplaincy Partnership was established to test chaplaincy integration between two of the allied nations.
Director Chaplaincy - Air Command Group Captain John Carroll said the opportunity to work closely with coalition chaplain partners was an invaluable experience and one that was hard to come by.
"The opportunity to meet and develop relationships is a positive and strategically important step forward," Group Captain Carroll said.
"It is my hope that this is the beginning of many such enduring opportunities to partner and learn together."
USAF Command Chaplain - Air Mobility Command Colonel Chad Bellamy said despite the drift to a more virtual world, the adage remained true in that there was no replacement for knowing someone other than spending time together.
"Training alongside Royal Australian Air Force chaplains has opened boundless opportunities to align priorities, sharpen one another's skillset and maximise spiritual care to service members and their families," Colonel Bellamy said.
'Our successes demonstrated our ability to integrate through our shared commitment of caring for individuals, regardless of nationality.'
During Mobility Guardian, RAAF chaplain Wing Commander Rainer Schack embedded with USAF chaplains, supporting the En Route Patient Staging System (ERPSS). The system provides support to, and facilitates, the transport of patients during aeromedical evacuations.
USAF chaplain Lieutenant Colonel Tim Sessions said Wing Commander Schack integrated with their religious support teams and medical personnel seamlessly, sharing his expertise and demonstrating grace and patience during challenging times, which contributed to the success of the ERPSS mission.
"Our successes demonstrated our ability to integrate through our shared commitment of caring for individuals, regardless of nationality," Lieutenant Colonel Sessions said.
"We gained valuable insights into the different regulations governing chaplaincy in each nation, and understanding these distinctions is crucial for effective collaboration and mutual respect."
Wing Commander Schack said that participating in Mobility Guardian had been extremely valuable. Particularly to exercise and learn with USAF colleagues on how to respond pastorally to events such as mass casualties.
"The United States chaplaincy approach to trauma, grief and stress is very similar and compatible with the Australian approach," Wing Commander Schack said.
"My US colleagues have been outstanding in sharing their expertise, including me in chaplaincy responses and respecting my contribution.
"Exercises like these improve our interoperability, increase our capability in support of a common mission and make it easier to work together in real-life crises, should conflict arise.
"I am extremely grateful for the invitation to participate in Mobility Guardian and will take these learning outcomes back to Australia for use in our training."
