Idaho Air National Guard civil engineers strengthen partnership during Canadian DFT
COLD LAKE, Alberta — Airmen from the Idaho Air National Guard’s 124th Civil Engineer Squadron traveled to Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada, August 15-29, 2026, as a deployment for training to complete infrastructure projects alongside members of the Royal Canadian Air Force while gaining hands-on training through an annual exchange between the two nations.
“We partner with the Royal Canadian Air Force and come up here to do different projects for them,” said 1st Lt. Ryan Poncia, 124th CES civil engineer officer and officer in charge of the DFT. “We’re getting all our different shops a lot of experience and training while we’re up here.”
The exchange paired U.S. Air National Guard civil engineer units with RCAF Construction Engineering Flights, allowing service members from each nation to work together to complete trade-specific construction projects. At Cold Lake, 124th CES Airmen worked on projects ranging from concrete and facility renovations to electrical, plumbing and power production.
One of the largest projects took place at Mackenzie School, a former school on the installation being converted to support child care and other programming for military families. Airmen renovated portions of the facility to provide an updated and safer space for those who use it.
“It goes directly to supporting our unit,” said RCAF Master Cpl. Barry Haughian, a construction technician assigned to 4 Wing Mission Support Squadron Construction Engineering. “We’re very thankful to have you guys here.”
Other projects included replacing deteriorating concrete, constructing sidewalks, rewiring a facility and completing siding work on military housing. Airmen also worked with generators, aircraft arresting systems, plumbing and wastewater treatment operations, while a 124th CES firefighter trained alongside the 4 Wing fire department.
Beyond completing projects, the DFT gave traditional Guard Airmen concentrated time to practice their career-field skills outside of monthly drill periods.
“We only get our members 24 days out of the year over drills,” Poncia said. “Having two solid weeks to come up here, we knock out a lot of training, and it’s benefiting the unit overall.”
For Airman 1st Class Kaitlin Bryan, a 124th CES pavements and construction equipment specialist participating in her first DFT, the experience provided an opportunity to turn classroom knowledge into practical experience.
“It was a fun experience to get to work with my shop and actually do my job at a higher level than textbook,” Bryan said.
Working in Canada also exposed Airmen to differences in terminology, equipment and construction methods, creating opportunities for both nations to learn from one another.
“You learn something every single time you do something like this,” Haughian said. “That’s another thing that the Americans bring, ‘Do you have this cool tool? Do you have this thing that works for making the job a lot easier?’ And I go, ‘I didn’t even think about that, but the next time I will.’”
Poncia said, that exchange of knowledge is what makes training with an allied nation particularly valuable.
“The way that we operate back home is very similar base to base,” Poncia said. “Coming up here, there are so many different ways that they’ve been taught. Working side by side with them, we’re able to take some of the things that they do very well and also give that back to them and teach them how we operate.”
The experience helps prepare Airmen to adapt to different processes and ways of accomplishing the mission when working alongside partner nations in future operations.
“The different ways that we execute things are beneficial when we get downrange because we will be working with different countries,” Poncia said.
Through the exchange, 124th CES Airmen gained hands-on experience in their individual trades while completing projects that will continue supporting 4 Wing personnel and their families, ultimately strengthening readiness and the partnership between the two forces.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
