JBER fitness program boosts readiness, wins departmental recognition

Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska — A strength and conditioning program that blends individualized coaching with unit-focused training has helped propel Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson to top regional honors from the Department of the Air Force for 2025.

The installation was named the Department of the Air Force Fitness and Sports Program of the Year for Region 2, an area that encompasses 39 installations. JBER was selected over fellow finalists Yokota Air Base and Misawa Air Base in Japan, according to base officials.

Tony Mason, JBER’s fitness and sports program manager, credited a coordinated effort by staff, service members and leadership for the recognition. “Our motto here has always been to exceed customers’ expectations,” Mason 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.”

Launched in 2016, the program tailors training to operational demands, offering open gym sessions, one-on-one programming and reservation-based group workouts for units. The approach emphasizes job performance over aesthetics, with targeted preparation for professional military education, specialized schools and deployment tasks.

“Our main objective is occupational performance and mission readiness,” said Reilly Kelleher, a JBER strength and conditioning coach. “We’re not necessarily training for bodybuilding or things like that. We want to make you better for your job. We want to give you more energy to do your job and have longer durability in your career.”

Kelleher said coaches aim to develop well-rounded tactical athletes and teach movement through hands-on instruction. “We’re creating educated tactical professionals through practical application, not PowerPoint presentations,” Kelleher said.

Injury prevention and longevity are core tenets, with staff emphasizing proper mechanics and progression to reduce avoidable setbacks that can sideline personnel. “One of our biggest goals is helping service members stay in the fight by reducing preventable injuries and improving long-term durability,” Kelleher said.

The program is available to active-duty members across the joint base—one of the few Air Force installation-level human performance efforts that serves both Airmen and Soldiers—allowing coaches to tailor sessions to different mission sets and schedules. “Different units have different physical demands,” Kelleher said. “Programs are tailored to mission sets, experience levels and operational schedules.”

While the strength and conditioning staff focuses on the active-duty population, JBER’s fitness facilities also support families, retirees and civilian employees who contribute to the base’s mission. “We know readiness is the key,” Mason said. “We take care of our active-duty members and help keep them fit to fight, but we also support the broader JBER community. We touch everybody’s lives in some way, and that’s why these programs are important.”

Base leaders say the program remains central to advancing JBER’s Ready Airmen and Soldiers, Ready Base and Ready Community priorities as the installation pushes toward greater fitness, resiliency and mission readiness.