Red Flag 14-2 ends; SJ Airmen return home

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Chuck Broadway
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  Following two weeks of non-stop operations, more than 200 members of the 4th Fighter Wing returned home from participating in Red Flag 14-2 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. from March 1-14.

As the host unit for the exercise, the 336th Fighter Squadron sent 14 F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft along with maintenance and other support personnel to represent the largest fighter wing in the Air Force.

Red Flag is a multi-faceted exercise conducted on the Nevada Test and Training Range, which incorporates all domains of warfare including command and control, real-time intelligence, analysis and exploitation, and electronic warfare.

In addition to Seymour Johnson AFB, more than 18 other U.S. military units and five coalition nations participated in Red Flag 14-2, creating a joint learning environment between partner nations.

"For us to be able train as a coalition was invaluable and a great success," said Col. Michael Koscheski, 4th Operations Group commander and acting air expeditionary wing commander for Red Flag 14-2. "Past experience has shown that when we get involved in conflicts we do so as a coalition. We were able to integrate very well (during the exercise) and our partner nations feel more confident in U.S. forces and our capabilities, and vice versa."

Throughout the exercise, the 336th FS "Rockets" went head to head with F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 64th Aggressor Squadron and F-15 Eagles from the 65th Aggressor Squadron, both at Nellis AFB. While there, they incorporated multiple aircraft platforms such as the B-52 Stratofortress from Barksdale AFB, La., and the E-3 Sentry from Tinker AFB, Okla., and Geilenkirchen, Germany, created a joint environment with a steep learning curve.

For several aircrew members from the 4th FW, it was one of the first times they've planned flying operations to include air-to-air, air-to-ground, close air support and bombing missions for a singular objective.

"There was definitely a positive learning curve and we were able to grow our mission commanders by integrating all the squadrons into a package to achieve (desired) effects in the battle space by putting those parts together into a coherent force," Koscheski said.

Koscheski and others referred to Red Flag 14-2 as a success, and the exercise gave a great assessment of where the 4th FW is with their training and what could be improved.

"We are really happy with how we did as a squadron," said Maj. Mike Landers, 336th FS director of operations. "The exercise was an outstanding experience for all of our aircrew, especially our younger members. It provided them with opportunities unavailable to us at home and (allowed us) to see where we stand operationally. A lot of the coalition nations we worked with (at Red Flag), we will work with on future deployments and now we are better prepared for that."

With a focus of integration and today's operational environment, Koscheski stated the experience gathered at Red Flag will help adjust training for combat units as they prepare to deploy.

"For more than a decade now we've been involved in warfare operations in places like Iraq and Afghanistan," he said. "We have done a lot of close air support operations as part of counterinsurgency operations and for us to go against a high-threat competitor like what we saw at Red Flag shows that we need to rebalance our training plans and ensure we are working on capabilities in our portfolio to meet the full spectrum of conflict."

One of Koscheski's goals leading into Red Flag was for this particular exercise to be remembered for the outstanding work done by everyone who played a role. He said the Red Flag staff gave numerous accolades to participants and were proud of the professionalism on and off duty displayed during the exercise.

"I think we set a new benchmark in terms of a successful Red Flag that created a learning environment," Koscheski said. "It went very well and people should take away some confidence that we are prepared for operations now. The big takeaway for Red Flag 14-2 was the coalition and partner nation building. We really integrated with new weapons systems well and I think we set the stage for further integration with coalition partners."