KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, New Mexico, and 22 distributed areas —
For the primary time within the fourteen-year historical past of the Digital Flag: Coalition train, built-in forces from america, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada fought in opposition to a peer adversary in a digital Indo-Pacific space of accountability. To extend fight effectiveness, the mixed drive engaged collectively throughout air, land, sea, area, and cyber domains..
The 705th Fight Coaching Squadron, house of Air Fight Command’s Distributed Mission Operations Middle, executed VIRTUAL FLAG: Coalition 24 at Kirtland Air Power Base, New Mexico, and distributed websites throughout 4 international locations through the two-week train, which concluded on Nov. 8.
VF:C is without doubt one of the U.S. Division of Protection’s largest workouts, combining U.S. forces (U.S. Air Power, U.S. Area Power, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, and U.S. Marines) with worldwide companions (Royal Air Power, Royal Navy, U.Ok. Area Company, Royal Australian Air Power, Royal Australian Army, Royal Canadian Air Power, Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Canadian Army) in opposition to a high pacing problem in a high-end combat throughout warfighting domains, in a large-scale theater and spectrum of battle.
“Train Digital Flag and related Fleet Artificial Coaching occasions offered a singular atmosphere for the Royal Canadian Navy to collaborate with our coalition companions and allies. The complexity of the Service Strike Group and INDOPACOM [Indo-Pacific Command] state of affairs was extremely difficult and could be close to inconceivable to duplicate at sea,” mentioned RCN Lt. (N) Jonathan Nellan, Canadian Pacific Fleet. “Fleet Artificial Coaching can not exchange sensible dwell coaching, however the coaching offered on VF:C 24 enabled Royal Canadian Navy personnel to considerably broaden their warfighting ability units, all in an atmosphere the place errors are potential, and failure is an choice.”
Roughly 493 coalition and joint warfighters completed 5,356 joint coaching occasions for 43 items utilizing seven networks and 23 completely different programs linked at 22 distributed websites worldwide via the DMOC’s info system networks.
Coalition forces function inside a concurrently dwell, digital, and constructive atmosphere, permitting warfighters to coach to wage battle in opposition to a peer adversary in an artificial atmosphere to enhance their built-in fight effectiveness. Digital situations, by which a person is attacking or defending inside a simulator, and constructive situations, by which computer-generated threats are fought in opposition to the mixed drive, have been each used.
Following the conclusion of VF:C 23 in 2022, the DMOC redesigned the whole train, strategically aligning coaching priorities with the Division of Protection’s Nationwide Protection Technique by altering the AOR to an Indo-Pacific area that’s twice as massive as earlier VF:C AORs.
“The INDOPACOM AOR challenged the mixed drive to handle distinctive downside units related to tyranny of distance, together with geographic separation, logistics, time, distance, and communications with a spotlight shift from a primarily land-based train to an expanded sea element,” mentioned U.S. Air Power Maj. Andrew Metz, 705th CTS/DMOC VF:C 24 train director.
“Train Digital Flag: Coalition 24, now based mostly on the INDOPACOM AOR and supporting [the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center’s] Pacing Problem Marketing campaign Plans, offered excellent multi-domain warfighting coaching to all Canadian Forces train members,” mentioned RCAF Maj. Gary Stone, RCAF Aerospace Warfare Centre. “With Canada’s elevated strategic give attention to the INDOPACOM AOR, the coaching acquired considerably enhanced members’ theatre-level situational consciousness the place command and management over huge distances is of paramount significance.”
For joint and coalition members, the DMOC develops sensible and related coaching environments and situations, permitting particular person items so as to add parts to finish required coaching aims or certifications throughout VF:C.
“Coaching at VF:C means stand-in forces within the first island chain are able to carry to bear not solely the energy of the Marine Corps however of the whole joint drive and America’s terribly highly effective allies,” mentioned U.S. Marine 2nd Lt. Andrew Binder, third Marine Plane Wing intelligence officer.
“The bigger AOR additionally pressured our tactical C2 members to be extra proactive and use foresight to anticipate and handle the challenges they have been seeing relating to belongings remaining in a protection space, which was not a problem in our earlier AORs,” mentioned U.S. Air Power Capt. David Blessman, 705th CTS/DMOC assistant director of operations.
The U.S. Air Power Warfare Middle will conduct its first-ever mixed C2-driven, live-fly, and LVC train, Bamboo Eagle, through the third week of Crimson Flag in 2024. The train will execute 24/7 operations at Nellis, Kirtland, and Hurlburt Discipline, in addition to distributed areas. The DMOC will incorporate VF:C classes discovered into Bamboo Eagle situations and future VFs and VF:Cs.
“The DMOC is the one place to supply tactical C2 sensible wartime rehearsal-style coaching, together with size of time,” mentioned Metz. “As a coalition, we’re creating and passing on real-world classes discovered by fixing completely different downside units to allow tomorrow’s warfighter.”
Train VF:C introduced collectively parts that in any other case function individually, advancing interoperability, cohesion and enhanced communication amongst forces fostering mutual understanding and comradery.
“Probably the most notable energy is the broadening of our communication to know higher the nuances of how every completely different aspect conducts enterprise and their respective expectations. We see the frequent working image of the place our area friends are headed; VF:C permits us to collaborate with allied forces in a capability we usually wouldn’t get, equivalent to working with U.S. Navy groups,” mentioned RCAF Sgt. Lia Spruyt, seventh Area Operations Squadron.
392nd Fight Coaching Squadron personnel beneath Delta 1, Area Coaching and Readiness Command, at Schriever Area Power Base, Colorado, offered real-time train information to Kirtland’s DMOC all through VFC, which strengthened C2 for the mixed drive at Kirtland and its 22 distributed areas.
“One of many foremost aims of the train was preventing in an Indo-Pacific train state of affairs,” mentioned U.S. Air Power Reserve Employees Sgt. Alicia Gutierrez, eighth Area Warning Squadron mission administration operator. “We can not adequately put together for real-world peer adversaries if we don’t prepare and plan for them.”
Throughout VF:C, the battlespace was used to coach and consider U.Ok. Area Command college students and efficiently combine coalition area specialist groups in a simulated operational atmosphere. The area workforce included area specialists from the U.S., U.Ok., Australia and Canada.
“We function in an all-domain capability in VF:C; we not solely discover methods to boost our space-based practices, however we even have the chance to watch what the opposite parts—the Army and Navy, amongst others—are doing in actual time at every stage of the battle,” Spruyt.
Aircrews (C-17s at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and RAAF Amberley, E-3s at Tinker AFB, E-7As at RAAF Base Williamtown, MQ-9s from Creech AFB, MQ-9As from RAF Waddington, MQ-1Cs from Fort Hood, CP-140s at Canadian Forces Base Greenwood, RCAF CH-148s,and RC-135s from RAF Waddington) together with Airmen from the Tactical Operations Middle-Fastened at Robins AFB, coalition forces at Management and Reporting Centres at RAAF Base Williamtown and RCAF North Bay, third Marine Plane Wing Sailors on the Maritime Evaluation and Operations Centre and Tactical Air Management Middle, RAF and RAAF operators together with U.S. Air Nationwide Guard Airmen from Distributed Floor Stations, U.S. Army Troopers from the fifth Battlefield Coordination Detachment, participated onsite or at a linked or distributed location throughout VF:C making certain the execution of the train’s aims.
The U.S. Army’s MQ-1C Grey Eagle workforce mutually supported Strike Coordination and Reconnaissance and Floor Fight Air Patrol operations throughout VF:C to assist deter enemy forces permitting the liberty of maneuver for the U.S. Navy’s third Fleet.
RAAF and U.S. Army Air Protection Artillery Fireplace Management Officers, or ADAFCOs, offered deconfliction within the joint working space airspace and defended coalition forces in opposition to ballistic missile threats.
“Working along with our coalition companions and all branches of the U.S. army, I discovered how an Air Operations Middle operates, the roles of naval and air belongings, and the significance of communication between everybody within the combat,” mentioned U.S. Air Power Reserve Senior Airman Angelina Weissenburger, nineteenth Area Operations Squadron GPS tactician.
VF:C is a posh and built-in LVC coaching train specializing in simulation and coaching programs integration. RAAF Waddington and RAF Coningsby joint terminal assault controllers, or JTACs, skilled within the Joint Terminal Management Coaching Rehearsal System, a 270-degree dome simulator. JTACS used the digital interfaces within the dome to view focusing on gear, world positioning programs, and radios which can be at the moment in use within the discipline.
“The U.Ok. Air Help Operations Squadron has supported the Digital Flag workouts for various years, and we proceed to get glorious coaching worth from our participation. The DMOC facility allows our personnel to practise their techniques in a safe atmosphere, linked throughout all operational domains while linked to our world key companions,” mentioned RAF Wing Commander Darren Haith, U.Ok. ASOS officer commanding. “It’s a invaluable coaching instrument for the warfighter throughout air, area, land, cyber and sea; encouraging modern pondering to combine multi-domain capabilities.”
“Earlier iterations of this train have been not as tightly centered on making ready coalition forces to compete and win in opposition to near-peer adversaries. Digital Flag: Coalition fills that void because the Air Power’s premier distributed battle administration train, in that it gives fight consultant, joint, and coalition, artificial coaching throughout all domains in assist of the warfighter,” mentioned U.S. Air Power Col. Robert Smith, 505th Fight Coaching Group commander.
The 705th CTS studies to the 505th Fight Coaching Group, Nellis AFB, Nevada, and the 505th Command and Management Wing, headquartered at Hurlburt Discipline, Florida. In assist of U.S. Air Power, joint, and coalition warfighter readiness, the DMOC develops, integrates, and delivers a sturdy multi-domain atmosphere for coaching, techniques, methods, and procedures growth, testing and experimentation.
“VF:C 24 challenged our coalition in a marketing campaign in opposition to an analytical and well-equipped peer adversary after which allowed us to check how we will enhance our efficiency within the combat. Full integration of coalition forces assist permits operators to develop techniques that leverage area capabilities and significantly enhance their total situational consciousness,” mentioned U.S. Air Power Reserve Grasp Sgt. David Hodge, nineteenth SOPS Weapons and Techniques flight chief.
For extra info relating to VF and VF:C train participation or to request a distinguished customer tour, contact the 505th CCW public affairs advisor at 850-884-9476 or 505CCW.PA.PublicAffairs@us.af.mil.
