RED FLAG-Alaska affords airmen experience of a lifetime

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  • By 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alas. --  The Alaskan summer sky dims only slightly as Airmen and aircraft from a myriad of countries pack up their gear, preparing to depart for their respective homes. 

Approximately 1,500 personnel and more than 100 aircraft from the United States, Japan, Republic of Korea, Denmark, Thailand and other nations participated in more than 300 flight hours of challenging training during RED FLAG-Alaska 17-2.

“We flew a lot,” said Capt. Brian Farmer, Delta-Flight Commander of the 25th Fighter Squadron and A-10 pilot. “Just being able to integrate with a large force exercise and seeing the integration execution between escorting, suppression of enemy air-defenses, airlifts and everything else coming together was a great experience.”

RF-A is a Pacific Air Forces-directed field training exercise for U.S. and international forces flying under simulated air combat conditions. It is conducted on the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex with air operations flown primarily out of Eielson Air Force Base and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.

Maj. Ito Kei, a pilot in the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force, found value in the expansive training range. “The training areas in Alaska are really huge, so we can fly with fewer restrictions compared to Japan. And in the areas, there are assets such as ground to air missiles and bombing ranges. So under this environment, we can train ourselves more practically.”

“The size and scope of the airspace, combined with fewer restrictions, allows pilots to realistically employ their aircraft and execute tactics as they would in war,” said Maj. Zach Fennell, a 353rd Combat Training Squadron range division assistant director of operations. “These things are what separates RED FLAG-Alaska from other exercises.”

The expansive training range allows for a full-scale integration of all multinational forces in attendance.

“One of the big lessons we get out of Red Flag is learning how to integrate with other assets, so when you go into a combat scenario it’s not the first time you’ve worked with that country, service or airframe,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Randey Kinsey, a 353rd CTS range division assistant director of operations. “It gives you a better idea of what the capabilities of their personnel and their equipment.”

Capt. Jun-Mo Yang, a KF-16 pilot in the Republic of Korea Air Force, echoed this sentiment. “The exercise is important in the sense that we get to experience beforehand scenarios that are similar to ones that we will face during wartime. Additionally, the ROKAF and USAF pilots build friendships and trust that will be most critical in executing future combined operations.”

The exercise, while beneficial for aircrew members of many nations, also had benefits for the flightline personnel of all the participating countries. Senior Airman Eric Florez-Meza, an F-16 avionics technician for the 36th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, said he had the experience of his professional lifetime.

“Not only did I learn new things, but I also got to participate in debriefings and directly interact with the pilots,” Florez-Meza said. “It gave me better insight in what they do. It was an amazing experience.”

Overall, the participants enjoyed RF-A, and they thanked their Alaskan hosts for the opportunity.

“Setting everything up and putting everything together with the amount of units Eielson and Joint Base Elemendorf-Richardson accommodated for, I would say both bases did a really good job with this exercise,” Farmer concluded.