Page 1 - Nellis AFB Bullseye 6-26-15
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Vol. 65 No. 25
June 26, 2015
31st TES F-35s take on Green Flag 15-08
By Senior Airman Joshua Kleinholz
99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joshua Kleinholz NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. — F-35A Lightning
IIs from the 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron played the
Tactical air control party members from the 7th Air Support Operations Squadron, Fort Bliss, Texas, monitor radios U.S. Army’s primary close air support platform during
from a defensive fighting position while AH-64D Apache helicopters from the 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, the latest iteration of the Green Flag exercise, GF 15-08, as
Fort Hood, Texas, fire upon a group of enemy vehicles in the distance during a Green Flag 15-08 training scenario at the Air Force’s program works toward its goal of declar-
the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif., June 12. The Apaches were just one phase of a joint integrated attack ing initial operational capability by the end of this year.
maneuver that combined simultaneous fire from artillery, armored vehicles, and both rotary and fixed wing aircraft.
The exercise, conducted ten times annually on the
1,200 square-mile ranges of the National Training
Center at Fort Irwin, California, pits more than 5,000
Army soldiers against simulated enemy forces in a
two-week long pre-deployment trial by fire.
“Green Flag trains us to never become victims of
our terrain,” said U.S. Army Maj. Ian Lauer, NTC
Operations Group operations officer. “It’s about un-
derstanding the context in which we’ll fight and using
that understanding to build an aggressive advantage.”
Working alongside soldiers from the 1st Brigade
Combat Team, Fort Bliss, Texas, were joint terminal
attack controllers assigned to the 7th Air Support Op-
erations Squadron who were are tasked with creating
and maintaining that vital link between units on the
ground and airpower soaring above.
Intelligent adversaries operating on the ground as
well as the air, space, and cyberspace realms are con-
structed to test the soldiers and Airmen on their ability
to persist and fight back in joint, multi-faceted attacks.
During iteration 15-08, two F-35s took on a primary
exercise role as the close air support providers, pen-
_________________ See GREEN FLAG, on page 3
USAF Weapons School JTAC graduates to receive hallowed patches
by Staff Sgt. Siuta B. Ika will also be awarded the coveted graduate “JTACs provide vital close air sup- the instructors of instructors for our en-
patch of the USAFWS and enter into an port integration for our sister services tire JTAC force and consistently provide
99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs elite group of “patch wearer” brethren. and allied nations. These warriors are critical combat leadership. They have
asked to perform amazing feats in the saved lives because they are very good
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. — These graduates will join 24 JTAC Ad- midst of chaos, and their importance at what they do. It is time we recognize
When the first five graduates of the U.S. vanced Instructor Course — the course’s to the theater air-ground fight cannot them as such. Wearing the WIC patch
Air Force Weapons School’s Joint Termi- former name — graduates who will also be overstated,” said Gen. Hawk Carlisle, gives them instant, noticeable credibility
nal Attack Controller Weapons Instructor receive patches, as the first and only commander of Air Combat Command.
Course receive their diplomas during the enlisted patch wearers in the school’s “They are trained and skilled. They are ____________See JTAC, on page 3
school’s class 15-A graduation June 27, they 66-year history.
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