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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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