Category: United States Defense

Source: United States Air Force

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (AFNS) —  

In this week’s look around the Air Force, the new Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. David W. Allvin is welcomed by the force, a new benefit aids spouse-owned small businesses, and a new app helps military families find short-term childcare. (Hosted by Tech. Sgt. Vernon Young)

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For previous episodes, click here for the Air Force TV page.

Source: United States Air Force

FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. (AFNS) —  

Airmen assigned to the 92nd and the 141st Air Refueling Wings conducted exercise Titan Fury 24-1 at Fairchild Air Force Base, Nov. 13-17.

During the exercise, Airmen demonstrated how various support activities contribute to mobilizing KC-135 Stratotankers at a moment’s notice if called upon to support strategic deterrence and other National Defense Strategy priorities.

“It’s critically important that Fairchild Air Force Base conducts exercises like this for one reason only, and that’s deterrence,” said Lt. Col. William Dowd, 97th Air Refueling Squadron commander. “We have to send a clear message to our adversaries and allies alike that Fairchild Air Force Base stands ready to execute this mission. Without making sure our crews are ready and able—regardless of how hard it is and how fast we need them to be—we can’t ensure the delivery of deterrence worldwide.”

For decades, the KC-135 has been the backbone of Air Mobility Command’s air refueling capabilities around the world because of its ability to extend global reach and project U.S. airpower.

Dowd explained how teamwork and collaboration are the keys to Fairchild AFB’s ability to keep this proud tradition going strong.

“The teamwork that goes into executing a mission of this scale really boils down to the relationship between operations and maintenance, then everything else has to come up and build the support pyramid for those two,” he said. “It is a challenging week for everybody, from maintenance and operations to the defenders in security forces who protect the ramp and aircraft and the folks in the Force Support Squadron who are turning out meals for them and bringing food to the crews at the jet.”

Dowd also praised the hard work and long hours of airfield managers, fuel operations, safety, inspector general and the other essential functions of the exercise that enable mission readiness.

“We could tell they were getting tired, but there was a gleam in their eyes, and we knew they were ready to show the world that Fairchild is ready to execute this mission,” he said. “The 92nd ARW, along with our Guard partners, the 141st ARW, conduct these exercises to ensure we are always prepared because there isn’t an aircraft in our fleet that can kick ass without tanker gas.”

In addition to the 92nd ARW active duty and 141st ARW Air National Guard units at Fairchild AFB, TF-24-1 included aircraft and personnel assigned to the 912th Air Refueling Squadron who traveled from March AFB, California, to participate. The 912th ARS is a geographically separated unit of the 92nd ARW.

According to Lt. Col. Roque Zarate, 912th ARS director of operations, participating in the exercise enabled his unit to integrate with 92nd ARW Airmen and build interoperability in a training environment that resembles the manner in which they would operate during a real-world scenario.

“Titan Fury is important, not only for the aircrews and maintenance, but for our controllers as well,” he explained. “They have to practice things that maybe they’re not used to with the crews that are organic to the 92nd. So, for them to actually integrate us into the exercise, being a geographically separated unit, there’s a lot more planning and a lot more nuances. It’s important for everybody to exercise the way we would go to war, or really, to deter our adversaries from attacking us.

“It’s nice just for us to be able to come here and see how our parent wing executes the same [mission],” Zarate added. “We’re taking lots of notes on how we can do things better at March, and we’re also providing notes to Fairchild on what they can do better.”

Master Sgt. Dustin Brockman, a generation superintendent for TF 24-1, highlighted the importance of exercising to build both proficiency and speed.

“[Getting] the aircraft ready quickly is important,” he said. “If it was a real-world situation, we don’t know how fast we would need to act. If we take too long to get ready, then we might not be able to meet the mission requirements. We work quickly yet safely to get the aircraft generated as fast as possible.”

Like many Airmen, this exercise was a first for Capt. John Will, a KC-135 pilot assigned to the 97th Air Refueling Squadron. He said his first Titan Fury experience enabled him to develop at a steady pace in his role as an aircraft commander supporting Fairchild AFB’s mission.

“There’s still a lot of learning to be done,” he said. “I feel like with every step of the process, I’ve been slowly learning this mission and getting better at it. We do other smaller exercises and classes to get us ready for this, so it’s not just everything at once. Seeing it all come together has been really cool.”

This recurring total force exercise is an example of how the 92nd ARW and the 141st ARW at Fairchild AFB are engaged, postured and ready with a credible force to assure, deter and defend in an increasingly complex security environment.

“We ran 24-hour operations for a week, generated 21 aircraft and demonstrated our ability to deploy personnel and conduct our mission from anywhere,” said Col. Chesley Dycus, 92nd ARW commander. “We did this all by combining our efforts with our teammates in the 141st ARW, and the crews and jet here from the 912th ARS. I couldn’t be more proud.”

Source: United States Air Force

FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. (AFNS) —  

Airmen assigned to the 92nd and the 141st Air Refueling Wings conducted exercise Titan Fury 24-1 at Fairchild Air Force Base, Nov. 13-17.

During the exercise, Airmen demonstrated how various support activities contribute to mobilizing KC-135 Stratotankers at a moment’s notice if called upon to support strategic deterrence and other National Defense Strategy priorities.

“It’s critically important that Fairchild Air Force Base conducts exercises like this for one reason only, and that’s deterrence,” said Lt. Col. William Dowd, 97th Air Refueling Squadron commander. “We have to send a clear message to our adversaries and allies alike that Fairchild Air Force Base stands ready to execute this mission. Without making sure our crews are ready and able—regardless of how hard it is and how fast we need them to be—we can’t ensure the delivery of deterrence worldwide.”

For decades, the KC-135 has been the backbone of Air Mobility Command’s air refueling capabilities around the world because of its ability to extend global reach and project U.S. airpower.

Dowd explained how teamwork and collaboration are the keys to Fairchild AFB’s ability to keep this proud tradition going strong.

“The teamwork that goes into executing a mission of this scale really boils down to the relationship between operations and maintenance, then everything else has to come up and build the support pyramid for those two,” he said. “It is a challenging week for everybody, from maintenance and operations to the defenders in security forces who protect the ramp and aircraft and the folks in the Force Support Squadron who are turning out meals for them and bringing food to the crews at the jet.”

Dowd also praised the hard work and long hours of airfield managers, fuel operations, safety, inspector general and the other essential functions of the exercise that enable mission readiness.

“We could tell they were getting tired, but there was a gleam in their eyes, and we knew they were ready to show the world that Fairchild is ready to execute this mission,” he said. “The 92nd ARW, along with our Guard partners, the 141st ARW, conduct these exercises to ensure we are always prepared because there isn’t an aircraft in our fleet that can kick ass without tanker gas.”

In addition to the 92nd ARW active duty and 141st ARW Air National Guard units at Fairchild AFB, TF-24-1 included aircraft and personnel assigned to the 912th Air Refueling Squadron who traveled from March AFB, California, to participate. The 912th ARS is a geographically separated unit of the 92nd ARW.

According to Lt. Col. Roque Zarate, 912th ARS director of operations, participating in the exercise enabled his unit to integrate with 92nd ARW Airmen and build interoperability in a training environment that resembles the manner in which they would operate during a real-world scenario.

“Titan Fury is important, not only for the aircrews and maintenance, but for our controllers as well,” he explained. “They have to practice things that maybe they’re not used to with the crews that are organic to the 92nd. So, for them to actually integrate us into the exercise, being a geographically separated unit, there’s a lot more planning and a lot more nuances. It’s important for everybody to exercise the way we would go to war, or really, to deter our adversaries from attacking us.

“It’s nice just for us to be able to come here and see how our parent wing executes the same [mission],” Zarate added. “We’re taking lots of notes on how we can do things better at March, and we’re also providing notes to Fairchild on what they can do better.”

Master Sgt. Dustin Brockman, a generation superintendent for TF 24-1, highlighted the importance of exercising to build both proficiency and speed.

“[Getting] the aircraft ready quickly is important,” he said. “If it was a real-world situation, we don’t know how fast we would need to act. If we take too long to get ready, then we might not be able to meet the mission requirements. We work quickly yet safely to get the aircraft generated as fast as possible.”

Like many Airmen, this exercise was a first for Capt. John Will, a KC-135 pilot assigned to the 97th Air Refueling Squadron. He said his first Titan Fury experience enabled him to develop at a steady pace in his role as an aircraft commander supporting Fairchild AFB’s mission.

“There’s still a lot of learning to be done,” he said. “I feel like with every step of the process, I’ve been slowly learning this mission and getting better at it. We do other smaller exercises and classes to get us ready for this, so it’s not just everything at once. Seeing it all come together has been really cool.”

This recurring total force exercise is an example of how the 92nd ARW and the 141st ARW at Fairchild AFB are engaged, postured and ready with a credible force to assure, deter and defend in an increasingly complex security environment.

“We ran 24-hour operations for a week, generated 21 aircraft and demonstrated our ability to deploy personnel and conduct our mission from anywhere,” said Col. Chesley Dycus, 92nd ARW commander. “We did this all by combining our efforts with our teammates in the 141st ARW, and the crews and jet here from the 912th ARS. I couldn’t be more proud.”

Source: United States Air Force

MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFNS) —  

Moody Air Force Base entered exercise Mosaic Tiger 24 -1 from Nov. 13-17. The exercise took place across various locations including Moody AFB; Grand Bay Bombing and Gunnery Range; MacDill AFB, Florida; and Avon Park Air Force Range, Florida.

The exercise aims to test the continued concept of command and control and the 23rd Wing’s ability to generate airpower in less-than-ideal conditions as an Expeditionary Air Base.

The week-long exercise, similar to previous iterations, provides an opportunity to test many capabilities, including multi-capable Airmen, agile combat employment, base defense, overcoming degraded communications and executing contingency location operations.

While the exercise tests multiple concepts, Mosaic Tiger 24-1 emphasizes mission command and its core fundamentals—centralized command, distributed control and decentralized execution.

“As we execute this exercise, we want to build confidence in accepting increased levels of risk in the distribution of control and execution of missions,” said Lt. Col. Matthew Shelly, 23rd Wing chief of A-Staff. “By entrusting our intelligence, communications and operations communities, the goal is to successfully use command and control in austere and dispersed locations while combatting degraded communications, all while trusting our Airmen in various positions and locations to make command and execution decisions at lower, appropriate levels.”

Although Mosaic Tiger is a wing-level exercise, the 23rd Wing aims to continue directly validating Air Combat Command’s power projection through contested environments by way of decentralized command.

“Mosaic Tiger remains as significant to Air Combat Command as it has for past iterations—the use of decentralized command for this exercise speaks directly to the idea that in certain environments, the risk of inaction can be a bigger risk than action at lower levels,” said Col. Paul Sheets, 23rd Wing commander. “This exercise continues to test the exact concepts needed to win the next war.”

With the 23rd Wing having embraced the Lead Wing concept for a few years now, the “Flying Tigers” are no strangers to the importance of MCA and the concepts needed for the success of future crisis or conflict.

Source: United States Air Force

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (AFNS) —  

Committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific, air chiefs and senior enlisted leaders from around the world convened for the Pacific Air Chiefs Symposium 2023 at Headquarters Pacific Air Forces at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Nov. 13-16. 

The four-day symposium was held to foster regional security, stability, interoperability, leadership development, knowledge exchanges, and to ensure a shared understanding of challenges throughout the Indo-Pacific.

U.S. Air Force Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, PACAF commander, hosted the historic event, which was attended by U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin, Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne Bass, and the senior air force leaders of 22 nations.

“In our current era of strategic competition, it is imperative that the U.S. Air Force follows through with our allies and partners to enhance our competitive advantage and secure common interests. That is exactly what I came here to do and I’m fully confident we achieved that goal.” U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin

The briefings and forums held throughout PACS 23 emphasized the value of enduring relationships with Allies and partners, how combined forces succeed, and what distinguishes them from competitors. The symposium also explored how lessons learned from the conflict in Ukraine can be applied to ensure the Pacific region takes necessary steps to prevent conflict.

“The challenges we face in the Indo-Pacific are more complex than ever, but we are not addressing them alone.” Gen. Ken Wilsbach

“This symposium not only strengthened bonds with nations around the world, but also provided a platform to share best practices, sharpen our competitive edge, promote shared values, and ultimately reinforce security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” Wilsbach said.

During lessons learned briefings, senior leaders discussed the importance of air superiority, rapid runway repair, agile combat employment, and asset dispersal among the many topics related to deterring aggression through modernization, forward presence, and rapid response capabilities.

Other forums at PACS 23 facilitated collaboration with Allies and partners in collective endeavors such as increasing interoperability, information sharing, and resolve to sharpen combined efforts in developing a networked security architecture.

“During such tumultuous times, we must increase our efforts to ensure peace.”Maj. Gen. Kelvin Khong

“This does not mean the absence of disagreements, because this has never happened in history. Instead, it is about how we manage our differences – through dialogue, through mutual trust and understanding, and working constructively together where our interests lie,” said Maj. Gen. Kelvin Khong, chief of the Republic of Singapore Air Force and acting dean of this year’s symposium.

In an age of long-term strategic competition that challenges international norms, U.S. Air Force senior leaders will continue to use events such as PACS 23 to refine ways of managing competition responsibly to prevent conflict and promote the shared values of freedom of navigation and overflight, adherence to international law, and maintaining peace and stability in the region.

Source: United States Air Force

“This training opportunity benefits both sides by giving our respective crews new encounters with environments and capabilities,” said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Tim Mathis, USCG STA Mayport unit supervisor. “Complacency can be the divider between failure and success, and exposing search-and-rescue resources to fresh scenarios deepens the well to draw from when the call comes in real time.”

The search-and-rescue community is a tight-knit group of professionals, regardless of their branch of service. During the remainder of the day, Airmen and Coast Guardsmen worked to establish effective communication practices and demonstrate joint team integration when faced with real-time situations.

Mendes said mission success depends on how well integrated forces can merge to streamline communication and overcome differences in execution methods. There is overlap between the Air Force’s search and rescue mission and the Coast Guard’s commitment to ensuring maritime safety—both of which came together to produce an effective outcome during a rescue need.

“We benefit from working with the Air Force by working through a different set of scenarios that we may not usually see or expect,” Mathis said. “This promotes real-time risk assessment and evaluation that is essential to growing as first responders. The opportunity to develop a universal standard or response cannot be understated as more resources are available to respond in any given situation.”