Current Ai
r Force Green Flag West (GFW) participants are working with an Army National Guard Brigade Combat Team to conduct air-land training at Nellis AFB, Nev., and the Army’s National Training Center (NTC) at Ft. Irwin, Calif. The goal, according to Air Force MSgt. Joel House, is to integrate ISR assets and conduct close air support training to better prepare forces for deployment to Southwest Asia. House, who is part of US Joint Forces Command’s Joint Fires Integration and Interoperability Team, said, “NTC and GFW are great examples of how we can link traditional service-level exercises into one well-synchronized training event that benefits all participants and services. The Air Force team includes an F-16 fighter force from Spangdahlem AB, Germany, Air Force Reserve Command KC-10 tankers from Travis AFB, Calif., and joint terminal attack controllers. Capt. Craig Andrle, with Spang’s 23rd Fighter Squadron, praised the training, saying it “allows us to focus solely on our CAS mission that is so vital when we’re supporting Army maneuver units.” (JFCOM report by Casey Bain)
“Military history shows that the best defense is almost always a maneuvering offense supported by solid logistics. This was true for mechanized land warfare, air combat, and naval operations since World War II. It will also be true as the world veers closer to military conflict in space,” writes Aidan…