Page 14 - Leverage and Learn

Leverage Allied Investments and Combat Learning Experience in Modernizing the U.S. Military

“We’re looking to have jets taking off, F-35A’s taking off at Lakenheath. Well, what if they have an issue and
they need to land in Marham. Rather than take the time to move people, spares etc from Lakenheath up to
here, what’s to say that we couldn’t conceptually have some maintainers from 617 Squadron repair the jet,
sign off, send it flying again.

“Lakenheath is going to be busy base with the closure of Mildenhall. Increased efficiencies working with us
would make sense.

“Could we potentially have F-35As operating out of Marham on a daily basis?

“How do we organize hot pit operations on each other’s base?

“One can easily see how that could buy you a lot of combat flexibility, in terms of how you might do
maintenance operations.”

And at RAF Lakenheath, the synergies underway are obvious as well. According to Col. Evan Pettus, the
Commander of the 48th Fighter Wing at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England:

“We do not have a closer partner than the UK. We will both operate the F-35 from Marham and Lakenheath
respectively, which are very close to one another.

“Shaping synergy between the two bases is clearly an important objective. We are working this process in a
step-by-step manner, from understanding how we might operate F-35As from Marham and F-35Bs from
Lakenheath, to deeper sustainment and training opportunities as well.”

But the potential is even greater for synergy from the two bases working together across the region.
th
According to then Col. Novotny, the 48 Fighter Wing Commander, and now General Novotny at the Air
Combat Command.
“We are not flying alone; but joined at the hip. We will be flying exactly in the area of interest for which the
plane was designed and can fly together, maintain together, and operate together leveraging the air and
sea base for which the F-35 B will fly from as well. It is a unique and strategic opportunity for the USAF and
for the nations.”

General Novotny added that the two bases joined at the hip can provide a key strategic impact as well. “As
we get this right, we can bring in the Danes, the Norwegians and Dutch who are close in geography and the
Israelis and Italians as well to shape the evolving joint operational culture and approach. Before you know it,
you’ve got eight countries flying this airplane seamlessly integrated because of the work that Lakenheath and
Marham are doing in the 20 nautical miles radius of the two bases.”

The RAF, the RAAF, the USAF and the USMC are already learning how to integrate the F-35 into the air
combat force at Red Flags, and recently have included the French Air Force in a Langley trilateral training
exercise. But integration will be accelerated by the integration of normal operations from common bases
throughout the European region as well.

As Novotny put it: “Doing Red Flags requires bring forces to Nellis and expending monies to come to the
exercise, clearly an important task notably in learning to fly together in high intensity warfare exercises. But
what can be shape from the RAF Marham and Lakenheath bases is frequency of operations with core allies
flying the same aircraft.”

Second Line of Defense

Page 13