Page 58 - North Atlantic and Nordic Defense

North European and North Atlantic Defense: The Challenges Return

The base will have a fully operational, training and support capability. Training, maintenance and various
centers are being stood up. At the heart of the effort will be the National Operations Center in which logistics
and operations are collocated and the U.S. will have personnel in this center as well.

There are multiple synergies involved with the F-35 and the standup of the Marham Air Base, two of which
highlight the US-UK working relationship.

The first is the synergy from America to the United Kingdom and back again. The UK has operators at Pax
River, Edwards, Eglin and Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station. The planes coming from Beaufort will provide
the standup for the first RAF squadron, namely,. 617 squadron.

The second synergy is between the standup among bases and lessons learned. Marham is being stood up and
generating operational lessons learned back to the United States, both in terms of the U.S.’s standup of its
own bases abroad and at home, and, notably in terms of shaping a new operational dynamic for RAF
Lakenheath.

The USAF F-35s at Lakenheath can become integrated into the operational, training and support elements in
the UK as well, shaping a new approach for the USAF as well.

As Wing Commander Butcher, the CO of 617 Squadron, underscored the possibilities:

“We want to take forwards everything that we’ve done in the pooling and implementation agreement in the
United States, and try and see how we can transpose that into a UK model.

“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.”

http://www.sldinfo.com/preparing-for-the-operation-of-the-lightning-force-infrastructure-operations-and-the-
way-ahead-at-raf-marham/

And visiting 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.
Second Line of Defense

Page 57