Red Flag: Then, now

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Nathan Byrnes
  • 99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. --  During the Vietnam War the U.S. Air Force lost approximately 1,737 aircraft in combat. It was a number that was unacceptable and an area that the Air Force knew it needed to improve on.

A study was launched into the matter, and the results indicated that the first ten combat sorties proved to be the most dangerous for aircrews. The Air Force then came up with a better way to prepare for combat. The answer was Red Flag.

Red Flag is a realistic combat training exercise involving the air forces of the United States and its allies. The training exercise is coordinated at Nellis Air Force Base and conducted on the 15,000-square-mile Nevada Test and Training Range.

It is one of a series of advanced training programs administered by the United States Air Force Warfare Center at Nellis and executed by the 414th Combat Training Squadron.

Red Flag was established in 1975 as one of the initiatives directed by Gen. Robert J. Dixon, former commander of Tactical Air Command. A driving force in Red Flag's inception was Col. Richard "Moody" Suter; after conferring with Dixon, and other leaders, Red Flag was adopted. In theory, aircrews would be getting the experience but avoiding the risk accompanied with those deadly first ten combat sorties and ensuring that no matter what conflict might arise in the future aircrews were already ten sorties into the flow.

"It aimed to enhance the performance of U.S. Air Force fighter pilots and weapon systems officers after studies comparing the Vietnam War to previous wars revealed that improvement was necessary," said Dan Wheaton, 57th Wing historian. "The first Red Flag not only served as a training exercise but also demonstrated the capabilities of the United States Air Force Tactical Fighter Weapons Center-assigned units to conduct such a program and its feasibility."

Today, aircraft and personnel deploy to Nellis for Red Flag under the Air Expeditionary Force concept and make up the exercise's "blue" forces. By working together, these blue forces are able to use the diverse capabilities of their aircraft to execute specific missions, such as air interdiction, combat search and rescue, close air support, dynamic targeting and defensive counter-air.

These forces use various tactics to attack NTTR targets such as mock airfields, vehicle convoys, tanks, parked aircraft, bunkered defensive positions and missile sites. These targets are defended by a variety of simulated "red" force ground and air threats to give participant aircrews the most realistic combat training possible.

The red force threats are aligned under the 57th Adversary Tactics Group, which controls seven squadrons of U.S. Air Force Aggressors, including fighter, space, information operations and air defense units. The Aggressors are specially trained to replicate the tactics and techniques of potential adversaries and provide a scalable threat presentation to blue forces which aids in achieving the desired learning outcomes for each mission.

A "white" force in Red Flag uses the Nellis Air Combat Training System to monitor this mock combat between red and blue. The combat training system is a sophisticated tracking system for combat training exercises and allows commanders, safety observers and exercise directors to monitor the mission and keep track of simulated kills while viewing the simulated air battle as it occurs.

"The benefit of Red Flag is the ability to plan, execute and debrief face to face for two to three weeks in a simulated combat environment," said Steve Imonti, 414th Combat Training Squadron director of plans.

"We have a cyber operator planner next to an F-22 pilot, a space operator planner next to a C-130 pilot, all domains, all aircraft, all command and control and all intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets working together to leverage each other's capabilities to achieve the mission objective," said Imonti.

Tasked to plan and control this training, the 414th CTS's mission is to maximize the combat readiness, capability and survivability of participating units by providing realistic training in a combined air, ground, space and electronic threat environment while providing for a free exchange of ideas between forces.

A typical Red Flag exercise involves a variety of attack, fighters, bombers, reconnaissance, electronic warfare and air superiority aircraft, as well as airlift support, search and rescue, aerial refueling, command and control as well as ground based command and control, space, and cyber forces.
"Red Flag has changed over the years as the U.S. Air Force and the world has changed," said Wheaton. "It has moved from mainly instructing participants on how to survive the first ten combat missions to focusing on composite force integration, allowing participants to plan and employ together.

Red Flag has grown exponentially since the first one in 1975.

"The training has expanded to include a more contested, degraded and operationally limited environment across the entire spectrum of tactical warfare, air, ground, space, and cyber warfare in an asymmetric battlefield."

Red Flag has provided training for more than 440,000 military personnel, including more than 145,000 aircrew members flying more than 385,000 sorties and logging more than 660,000 hours of flying time.

All four U.S. military services, their Guard andReserve components and the air forces of other countries participate in each Red Flag exercise. Since 1975, 28 countries have joined the U.S. in these exercises. Several other countries have participated as observers.

Since the first Red Flag, the U.S. Air Force has lost approximately 43 aircraft in combat. A vast improvement from the 1,737 aircraft that was lost during the Vietnam War. Much of this can be attributed to the rigorous training members gain during Red Flag exercises at Nellis.