B-52s participate in Red Flag- Alaska

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Jeff Walston
  • 917th Wing Public Affairs
Barksdale AFB, La --  Good guy, bad guy. For crews of three B-52s who recently participated in Red Flag, they played both sides. All were tested: pilots, navigators, weapons load crews, maintainers and those on the ground who supported them—all necessary to accomplish missions in this realistic, war gaming exercise. 

Approximately 130 Wing members joined some 1,500 players and 84 aircraft from 20 different Air Force units for the joint exercise April 24 to May 5 in Eielson AFB, Alaska. More than 5,000 Army personnel, most from the 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska, were also involved. 

From the moment a unit lands on the runway, everything is set up to hone their combat capabilities, designed at the bare-base level, with each unit shipping in with them everything they need to conduct war. The permanent party, “White Force Staff,” is there only to provide the expertise on how to work at Eielson, said Capt. Shawn Martin, Red Flag - Alaska exercise support division chief. 

One goal of the exercise is to allow units to work together—units that may not normally be afforded that opportunity unless they were actually deployed to a hostile environment.
“We are multitasking with other people here. This prepares us to interact with multiple agencies to achieve a directive,” said Lt. Col. Chris Rounds, 93rd Bomb Squadron electronic warfare officer. “Here we are interacting with Guard, Reserve, active fighters and ground units. Since everyone has their own way of saying things, it will be easier to understand them now.” 

“It’s not my first Red Flag, but it is my first time as Red Air,” said Maj. Kurt McClure, 93rd Bomb Squadron radar navigator. “This is equal if not exactly the same as down South (Red Flag – Nellis). We were playing an adversary today, not a B-52 per se, but a bad guy attempting to strike a target or launch a missile.” For all pilots and planes flying, there were many more ground personnel supporting those in the sky. 

“The biggest problem has been the severity of the breakage on the planes,” said Maj. Michael Wood, 917th Maintenance Squadron commander. “But, the worker bees have had a great attitude. All the guys (and gals) have been outstanding.” 

“From dispatch, to supply, to the tool room, they worked it all out and made our life (on the flight line) a lot easier,” said Tech. Sgt. James Spencer, 917 MXS B-52 aircraft mechanic. 

In addition to the “worker bees,” there are those whose sole responsibility is to guard Reserve assets. 

“Our area of responsibility is the flight line. It’s my job to guard these birds, so that’s just what I’ll do,” said Tech. Sgt. Chad Turner, 917th Security Forces Squadron. 

While “friendly” pilots face off against the “aggressors” in the sky and maintainers on the ground ensure planes stay in the fight, men and women of Artic Slope World Services analyze and record the outcome in the “computer room” at Red Flag Headquarters. 

“When you’re talking about the good guy’s from the bad guy’s perspective, we’re the ones who know how well the good guys do,” said Carl Thompson, lead technician of video systems, ASWS. “On the tactical ranges (pilots) fight past our SAMS-find specific targets, put a bomb on it, and fight their way out. Then we get to score it.” 

Personnel at ASWS provide the hostile environment from more than 29 manned and unmanned threat sites that ensure pilots receive both aggressive and defensive simulated combat experiences at a pressure-building pace whether they’re bombing targets, evading missiles and ground fire, or supporting ground troops throughout the 67,000 square-mile range. 

Once the plane crews have dropped their ordnance, pilots must still make it past the enemy and threats back to home base without getting “shot down.” 

When all is said and done, both the pilots and those who helped them achieve their missions will walk away from Red Flag - Alaska with the training and experience normally only afforded by actual combat operations.