U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Andrew Giorgio, 36th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, sits atop a U.S. Marine Corps High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) during a HIMARS Rapid Insertion training at Kadena Air Base.

(Staff Sgt. Natalie Doan/U.S. Air Force)

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Andrew Giorgio, 36th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, sits atop a U.S. Marine Corps High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) during a HIMARS Rapid Insertion training at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Sept. 18, 2025. The training gave personnel an opportunity to practice emerging tactics, techniques, and procedures that allow C-130 aircrews to reload ammo pods into a HIMARS without any material handling equipment, such as K-loaders and forklifts, in a process known as HIMARS Direct Reload Inside Plane (HIDRIP). This marked the first time on record that a Mobility Air Force aircrew within Pacific Air Forces has executed HIDRIP, as the 36th AS continues to develop homegrown training events designed to refine the skills needed to support operations in austere environments.

AloJapan.com