Operation Sea Lion commences

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Heather Stanton
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  Forty-two aircraft from nine military units participated in a large force exercise in the skies over North Carolina to support Operation Sea Lion 11-05, a phase two operational readiness exercise held at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C, May 2.

Participating in the exercise were four F-22A Raptors from the 27th Fighter Squadron at Langley AFB, Va., four F/A-18 Hornets from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 115 in Beaufort, S.C., two F-15E Strike Eagles from the 333rd FS at Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., four F-16 CJ Fighting Falcons from the 157th FS with the South Carolina Air National Guard at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, S.C., 24 Fighting Falcons from the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw AFB, an E-3 Sentry AWACS from the 552nd Air Control Wing at Tinker AFB, Okla., a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 916th Air Refueling Wing at Seymour Johnson AFB, a Stratotanker from the 128th Air Refueling Wing with the Wisconsin Air National Guard and an additional Stratotanker from the 459th Air Refueling Wing at Andrews AFB, Md.

"(So many units are involved) to maximize everyone's training," said Maj. Cameron Nordin, 20th FW chief of inspections. "We are in a good location geographically, with many different assets in close proximity and the airspace and air-to-ground ranges to accommodate us. The integration of all the assets is exactly how we would fight; therefore, this is some of the best training for our Airmen, as well as the other services participating."

The exercise included a strike mission with offensive counter air and suppression-of-enemy-air-defense support as well as in-air refueling. Scenarios like these are just a few aircrews could experience during real-world contingency operations.

"This is an opportunity to integrate with other assets and sister services which takes us that step beyond simulation and allows us to derive lessons from our training that we can build on in the future," Major Nordin said. "The pilots are not just benefiting from operating in the same air-to-air and air-to-surface environment as each other, but they are also integrating in the planning process as well."

Seymour Johnson AFB aircrews played a significant role in the exercise because of the Strike Eagle's unique tactical capabilities and the in-air refueling capabilities of the Stratotanker, according to Lt. Col. David Moeller, 333rd FS director of operations.

"(The Strike Eagles) were responsible for achieving desired weapons effects on a set of strategic targets in addition to providing defensive counter-air capability to protect high-value assets," Colonel Moeller said.

With months of coordination to get the numerous aircraft involved, the exercise turned out to be a successful learning experience for all involved.

"Today's large force exercise turned out to be very successful," Major Nordin said. "We were able to learn a lot from the integration of our Air Force's different assets as well as those of the Marine Corps. While the tactical lessons learned are the most valuable to us as professional Airmen, we also learned valuable lessons in the mission planning process that will help aid us in organizing these exercises in the future."