vol. 2, no. 15  Serving Southern Nevada’s military community, including Nellis, Creech and NTTR                                                                  July 27, 2018

Red Flag 18-3:An Aerotech news And review publicAtion • www.Aerotechnews.com
                                                       Readiness through innovation,
                                                       integration and interoperability

by Airman Bailee A. Darbasie                 Colombian air force F-21 Kfir fighter jets on the Nellis flightline.                                                                                                                                                  Air Force photograph

Nellis AFB, Nev.                                                                                                                           Air Force photograph                                                                        Air Force photograph Staff Sgt. Angela Ruiz

   Southern Nevada residents may             A Colombian air force pilot arrives at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.,                                                 Colombian air force Senior Airman Julian Gutierrez Pedroza, Kfir
notice an increase in military aircraft      for Red Flag 18-3.                                                                                                  fighter jet crew chief, signals to a Kfir fighter pilot during pre-flight
activity from July 23 through Aug. 3, as     ply our knowledge and gain more experience in combat aerial                                                         inspections at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., July 7, 2018. The
Nellis begins the U.S. Air Force’s largest   maneuvers with combat squadrons of the U.S. Air Force.”                                                             Colombian air force trained with the Arizona Air National Guard’s
air-to-air combat training exercise: Red                                                                                                                         162nd Wing and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base’s 354th Fighter
Flag 18-3.                                      Red Flag ensures combat air forces are ready to win the                                                          Squadron in preparation for Red Flag 18-3.
                                             nation’s wars and builds partnerships and interoperability                                                          Colombian Kfir fighters prepare for take-off during Red Flag 18-3 at
   Red Flag exercises provide mission        among allies and across multiple domains.                                                                           Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
commanders, maintenance personnel,
ground controllers and air, space and           Since its establishment in 1975, Red Flag has provided
cyber operators the opportunity to ex-       training for over 440,000 military personnel, including mem-
perience realistic combat scenarios to       bers of approximately 28 allied countries’ air forces, through
prepare for future warfare.                  various exercise scenarios over the skies of the Nevada Test
                                             and Training Range.
   The goal of Red Flag 18-3 is to main-
tain air, space and cyber superiority
through innovation, integration and
interoperability.

   “Red Flag exercises deliver readiness,”
said Col. Michael Mathes, 414th Combat
Training Squadron commander. “They
are unmatched opportunities for our
Airmen, sister services and interna-
tional participants to experience realistic
combat scenarios that prepare them for
future conflicts.”

   In addition, the Colombian air force
will participate in the exercise to en-
hance training and foster enduring re-
lationships through shared participation
in operations.

   “The Colombian air force’s partici-
pation for this iteration of Red Flag is
building on our two countries’ long-
standing partnership and cooperation,”
said Mathes. “We continue to learn from
each other and the insight we gain into
each other’s operations ensures we main-
tain a high level of mutual readiness.”

   Linking participants through team-
work-enforced activities provides a more
adaptable force.

   “For the Colombian air force, partici-
pating for the second time in Red Flag
signifies the opportunity to increase the
training of our pilots in a very challeng-
ing environment,” said Brig. Gen. Pablo
Garcia, Aerial Combat Command 1
commander. “We are ready to learn, ap-

INSIDE: Commentary - 2; News - 3-8; Veterans News - 12; Nellis Living - 13