War games on Wyoming highway helped prepare for daring Iran U.S. pilot rescue

A high-risk special forces rescue of a U.S. fighter pilot in Iran earlier this month echoed war games held in Wyoming in 2023, when the military turned a remote, windswept stretch of Highway 287 near Rawlins into a simulated rescue mission for a downed pilot.

The exact operational details of the Iran mission remain classified, but several military analysts have highlighted similarities between the 2023 training exercise in Wyoming and the real-world rescue mission in Iran on April 5. The exercise in Wyoming “gamed out” how military teams could quickly and efficiently refuel and re-arm combat aircraft under austere, rugged conditions, working in tight spaces with engines running and with no advance base.

“An adversary that may be able to deny use of a military base or an airfield is going to have a nearly impossible time trying to defend every single linear mile of roads,” deputy mission commander Lt. Col. Dave Meyer said in 2023. “It’s just too much territory for them to cover, and that gives us access in places they can’t possibly defend.”

Dubbed Exercise Agile Chariot, the joint-force, off-airfield combat simulation was historic in its size and scope, involving multiple aircraft and scenarios, according to the U.S. Air Force. The exercise had two parts named after Wyoming: Cowboy XL and Speed Goat. The names were meant to pay homage to the Cowboy State in appreciation for helping the Air Force organize the training missions.

Lenny Layman with Carbon County Emergency Management helped plan some of the Wyoming logistics. “Realistic is always part of the exercise,” he said. “With every exercise, whether it’s a local fire department or this big Agile Chariot, you get the most out of it when the players put the most into it and treat it like it’s a real, live event. They’re doing these things in a safer, controlled environment, but you’re treating the exercise like it’s real.”

On the ground witnessing the exercise, Layman said it felt like watching a movie. “The C130 circled and a number of individuals jumped out of the plane and parachuted down,” he said. “Those individuals ran up to the road to secure the runway.” After that, they brought in an MC-130J Commando II to land on the highway. “If the C-130 pilot would have dropped a single tire off the edge of the road, it would most likely still be there today,” Layman said. “The pilot did it perfectly. From edge to edge, there wasn’t much more than an inch or two to spare.”

Other planes landed behind the C-130 to handle refueling and rearming, including an A-10 Thunderbolt II jet. The military also landed an MQ-9 Reaper Drone — the first time that had been done on a public highway. In a separate part of the exercise near Riverton, they landed two MH-6 Little Bird helicopters on Wyoming Highway 789.

Retired Air Force Col. Tucker Fagan, former commander of F.E. Warren Air Force Base, said the training mindset is what sets American troops apart. “We know stuff goes wrong, so we practice, practice, practice,” he said. “And we know even then things may not go right.” He noted that American troops are taught to take charge if their commander is killed, unlike authoritarian regimes. “If the colonel is killed, the majors take over. The same goes down the line,” he said.

Gov. Mark Gordon didn’t just help facilitate the military exercise. He was invited to participate when the military simulated rescuing a downed pilot. “Let me put it this way, that was fun,” Gordon said. “General Porter and I were asked to fly on the mission that went to rescue the soldier.”

The Wyoming Department of Transportation helped identify locations that could meet the military’s needs without causing major traffic issues. “One of the things they really liked about doing this in Wyoming was the strength of our highways, the way we build them,” spokesman Doug McGee said. “That gave them the confidence the road could support the aircraft.”

Layman was allowed to invite a limited number of people to observe the exercise, including students interested in military careers. “They didn’t pretend they were refueling that day,” Layman said. “They literally refilled warthogs in real time, 30, 40 feet from us watching them do that. It was a real thing, real fuel, real safety issues — and they did it flawlessly.” Layman is proud to know that the practice run in 2023 he helped coordinate eventually helped pave the way home for a downed U.S. pilot in a war zone, thanks to a stretch of Highway 287 that runs straight through Carbon County, Wyoming.