Jun 24, 2026 JBER fitness program recognized for mission-readiness
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER), a major military installation in Anchorage, Alaska, has been recognized for its strength and conditioning program with its recent Department of the Air Force Fitness and Sports Program of the Year award for Region 2.
JBER was established in 2010 via a merger of Elmendorf Air Force Base and Fort Richardson and serves as a strategic hub for power projection, homeland defense and major commands in the Pacific.
According to Tony Mason, installation fitness and sports program manager at JBER, the award reflects the combined efforts of fitness center staff, military members and installation leadership.
“Our motto here has always been to exceed customers’ expectations,” he said. “We have strong managers, active-duty military members and fellow civilians on our team and support from our leadership. When you have that support and a team focused on serving the JBER community, that’s the foundation.”
JBER’s strength and conditioning program was established in 2016 and provides active-duty service members with customized training plans, instructor-led group workouts and unit-focused physical training sessions meant to improve operational readiness.
The program offers open training sessions, personalized fitness programming and reservation-based group training for units across JBER. Training is tailored to individual fitness levels, mission requirements and specific military objectives, like preparing for professional military education courses, specialized schools or deployment-related tasks.
JBER strength and conditioning coach Reilly Kelleher said in a report on the Air Force website that one of the program’s biggest goals is helping service members “stay in the fight” by reducing preventable injuries and improving long-term durability.
The program is open to active-duty JBER members, which the Air Force said makes it one of the few installation-level performance programs in the Air Force that supports both services. It also supports families, retirees and civilians “who contribute to the installation’s mission.”
“Different units have different physical demands,” Kelleher said in the Air Force report. “Programs are tailored to mission sets, experience levels and operational schedules.”
According to the Air Force, JBER’s emphasis on fitness, lethality and mission-readiness earned it the Department of the Air Force Fitness and Sports Program of the Year award for Region 2, which includes 39 installations.
“As JBER continues to prioritize Ready Airmen and Soldiers, Ready Base and Ready Community initiatives, leaders say the strength and conditioning program remains a critical tool for building a healthier, more resilient and mission-ready force,” the Air Force said.
