MEDIA CONTEST: Red Flag unfurls Published Dec. 28, 2006 Print Journalist of the Year Entry 3C ACC MEDIA CONTEST -- NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. --Today marks the conclusion of the first Red Flag exercise of 2006. The second and final part of this Red Flag had 2,000 personnel from the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, with more than 110 aircraft combined to make one of the largest aerial exercises in the world. Of the 2,000 members here during this part of Red Flag, more than 200 are Whiteman members either participating in the exercise or leading it. During the second part of this exercise, and for the first time, the 509th Bomb Wing was designated as the core unit for Red Flag. The core unit provides overall supervision and leadership for the entire exercise. Whiteman was chosen as the core unit for this Red Flag because the B-2 is often the centerpiece of a deployment and the exercise allows Whiteman's officers and enlisted to train in a provisional wing deployed environment, said Lt. Col. Bill Eldridge, 393rd Bomb Squadron director of operations. "Whiteman was also chosen because of our role in supporting Air Expeditionary Force 9/10 and preparing them for war," said Col. Bob Wheeler, 509th Operations Group commander and the expeditionary force commander for the second part of Red Flag. The core unit performs duties such as scheduling more than 160 daily sorties, ensuring safe departure and recovery from the Nellis Air Training Ranges. The core unit also provides personnel to man the operations desk, administration troops, life support Airmen, security managers, and aircraft maintenance supervision for all exercise players. Besides being the core unit and directing the exercise, many Whiteman members are also participating in the exercise. Whiteman intelligence personnel are responsible for planning and coordinating the exercise missions of more than 80 United States, United Kingdom, and Australian aircraft on the Blue Force team (the good guys). The Red Force (the bad guys), members of the recently reactivated 65th Aggressor Squadron, plan their own missions and try to beat the Blue Force. "Red Flag gives us the range spaces and we provide the exercises and scenarios, and determine how to integrate all of the units," Colonel Wheeler said. "This particular Red Flag is more complicated then before, and (the Red Flag staff) has pushed up the threat scenarios. We have two large force exercises encompassing more than 60 jets both day and night, as well as a dynamic targets exercise and a close air support exercise all with live weapons." As far as realism is concerned, Colonel Eldridge said "this is probably the best large force exercise there is. This is as real as it comes. The only things missing are the missiles." The realism of Red Flag's training is designed to help younger pilots learn how to operate in a combat situation. "There is a steep learning curve for younger pilots. They learn very quickly about new threats and our own capabilities," Colonel Eldridge said. This is why all of the B-2 pilots from the 393rd BS are participating in the second part of Red Flag, Colonel Eldridge said. "I want to give my pilots three or four sorties as close to combat as possible. "Red Flag is a high stress environment with a lot of simulated threats that include air-to-air and ground-to-air attacks. Red Flag is tough to make combat seem easier." Red Flag is part of a building block approach, according to Maj. Dan Manuel, 509th Operations Support Squadron. "It enables us to take younger guys and push them across the range so they have to look for bad guys, good guys and surface to air threats. "Then when we get home we can use what they learned to build the pilots situational awareness. This really lays the foundation for them," said Major Manuel. Red Flag is designed to give pilots realistic combat training, however, pilots aren't the only ones receiving training. The U.S. Army has ground forces practicing convoy maneuvers with aerial support, and Airborne Warning and Control Systems crews are responsible for up to 80 exercise aircraft at a time. And with all of these aircraft, the ordnance, logistics and maintenance members are getting high tempo, high turn around-training to keep their planes loaded, fueled and ready to launch. Members from the 509th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and 393rd Aircraft Maintenance Unit are responsible for 24/7 maintenance operations to keep three B-2s ready for action. During the second part of Red Flag, the maintenance performed by the 509th AMXS and 393rd AMU resulted in more than 20 sorties averaging 4.5 hours of flight time per sortie. Senior Master Sgt. Mark Cline, 509th AMXS maintenance superintendent, said with the upbeat tempo of Red Flag, this is good training for B-2 maintainers. He added that "seeing all of the different aircraft taking off and landing, both U.S. and Coalition, is more realistic to a wartime scenario." Throughout this exercise, all of the Whiteman members working together have allowed the B-2 to prove one of its core competencies: performing dynamic targeting. While performing sorties, B-2 pilots can receive taskings to go hit new targets during a mission. Dynamic targeting is the ability to quickly hit a target that has not been pre-planned to strike, or a target that is of a time sensitive nature. And that is exactly what has happened during this Red Flag. As of Wednesday night, the B-2 had a target success rate of 99.7 percent of planned targets. With dynamic targeting the B-2 has hit 18 extra targets bringing it's total target success rate well over 100 percent. Meaning 18 targets hit by the B-2 were not original targets, but new targets received during the mission. "Dynamic targeting allows the combatant commander to use an asset like the B-2, against unanticipated targets outside the normal mission planning timeline," said Maj. Mark Pye, 509th OSS chief of mission planning cell. "This tactic is another example of how flexibility is still the key to air power." Red Flag is designed to be realistic and teaches many things. However, Colonel Wheeler said that teamwork is one of the most important things learned here. "The bottom line is you can have a good offense, a good defense and a good quarterback, but if you don't orchestrate them, and if they don't come together as one group, then you are not going to have a super bowl team," he said. "The team from a synergistic perspective is greater than the individual parts." The next Red Flag is scheduled for August.