The Munising area and Sawyer International Airport will look a little different later this month.

The Michigan Air National Guard announced that on June 27-29, it will partner with Air Force Special Operations Command, the Michigan Department of Transportation and local agencies to host exercise Northern Agility 22-1.

This prepares military aircrews for operations in “austere” environments under the Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment doctrine.

Northern Agility 22-1 will showcase A-10 Thunderbolt II, AFSOC MC-12W and U-28A aircraft conducting agile combat employment at Sawyer International Airport and on a closed portion of M-28 east of Munising.

Northern Agility 22-1 will focus on contested logistics and the ability to conduct integrated combat turns. These turns allow for the quick arming and refueling of a running jet to reduce the aircrew�s ground time so they can get back in the air.

The temporary landing zone in Alger County will occur June 28 on a closed, 9,000-foot section of four-lane highway. The zone has a poignant aspect to it; it is named “Hawk LZ” in honor of F-16 pilot Maj. Durwood “Hawk” Jones from the Wisconsin ANG’s 115th Fighter Wing who lost his life in a training accident in the Upper Peninsula in 2020.

Staging and additional training activities will precede and follow the highway landing June 27-29 at Sawyer International Airport.

The Michigan Air National Guard indicated that it makes sense for the Air Force to purposely land fighter aircraft on a civilian Michigan roadway because of the proximity of many civilian airports and the state’s unique training airspace and ranges.

Of course, safety measures will be taken. The Michigan Department of Transportation will close M-28 east of Munising from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 28, during which eastbound traffic will be detoured on H-58 to H-15 and back to M-28. The route will be reversed for westbound traffic.

There will be no civilian access to the M-28 landing zone during this period, although it will be possible to view low-flying aircraft from the city of Munising.

Additionally, Hanley Field, the Alger County airport, will be closed to all civilian air traffic June 27-29. To ensure public safety, there also will be no civilian foot traffic allowed on the airport property during this period.

We are happy that the region can accommodate the Air Force being able to deploy rapidly anytime from anywhere, which undoubtedly can give it an edge over its adversaries.

After all, there are many ways to conduct military training exercises, and Northern Agility 22-1 is one of them.