 Exercise Agile Combat Employment Reaper is about demonstrating the MQ-9's ability to rapidly mobilize and operate in any environment, as well as highlighting the student quality and master instructor development through joint integration. To complete the objectives of the exercise, Airmen and Marine from various locations in the U.S. worked from early September to early October. The first portion of the exercise was setting up operations in Marine Corps Base, Hawaii. Set up began by assembling an aircraft and ground control station, the cockpit for the MQ-9, which were shipped from the continental United States. Then, two reapers made the first-ever trip across the Pacific from March and Creech Air Force Base to Marine Corps Base, Hawaii. Throughout the few couple weeks after their arrival, flying stories were conducted from the base for roughly 12 straight hours every day. A typical flight would begin with the pilots in Hawaii taking off before handing controls over via satellite to pilots in the continental United States. With successful maritime flights over the course of those two weeks and many lessons learned for both Air Force and Marine Corps, pack-up began and the reapers returned stateside. One of Holloman's mission priorities is to train combat-ready MQ-9 Reaper aircrew. This exercise serves as a testament to the 49th Wing's continuous effort to fulfill that priority and enhance joint operation capabilities.