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Grand Forks Airmen participate in Red Flag exercise

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Ryan Sparks
  • 319th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  Airmen here participated in a three-week long warfighting exercise conducted from Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., which concluded July 31, 2015.

Red Flag 15-3 is a warfighting exercise that employs air, space and cyberspace capabilities to provide realistic training for Airmen. Maj. Susan, 69th Reconnaissance Group commander's action group director, said the exercise is very important to the success of the Grand Forks Air Force Base mission.

"It's a great opportunity to try out new tactics, techniques and procedures," said Susan.

In regards to exercises of this nature Susan said, "This is what makes us the greatest air force in the world."

Staff Sgt. Christopher, 348th Reconnaissance Squadron sensor operator instructor, felt this exercise provided a great opportunity to learn.

"A lot of young Airmen have to learn how to operate in the real world," said Christopher. He said this exercise allowed them to train in a real world environment without it actually being real world.

"Red Flag is a great opportunity to learn new tactics," said Christopher. He said they were able to test out the ideas of Grand Forks AFB Airmen to see if they can be used operationally.

"This is where you learn," said Christopher. He said that how you train is how you fight.

Red Flag exercises occur multiple times throughout each fiscal year. Red Flag 15-3 was the third such exercise of 2015. Each exercise involves many different agencies and can include many other countries. Grand Forks AFB was responsible for 77 tactical reports during the exercise. These TACREPS were used to identify potential hostile forces during the exercise.

A typical Grand Forks AFB Red Flag sortie consists of only 25 personnel including the pilots, sensor operators and ground crew. The number is small in comparison to other agencies, but the part they play is significant.

"We're a small base with a big mission," said Susan. "We provide greater perspective to other forces on the ground."