Air Force, Army train at Green Flag

  • Published
  • By Justin Oakes
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  How does today's military integrate training to simulate real-world scenarios found in Afghanistan and Iraq? Green Flag. 

Eighty-four Thunderbolts and five F-16 Fighting Falcons from Luke Air Force Base departed July 10 for exercises at Barksdale Air Force Base, La. These exercises have officially become the Air Force's premier pre-deployment exercises for flying units who perform close-air support and precision-guided munitions delivery. They are now known as Green Flag West (Nellis) and Green Flag East (Barksdale). 

"Luke instructors participate in the exercise to help train ground troops how to better integrate close-air-support, and in turn, it helps us spin up our F-16 pilots when they merge with a unit in the field," said Capt. Timothy Lawlor, 308th Fighter Squadron pilot. "Green Flag proved to be an extremely valuable exercise." 

"The exercise used to focus on large scale brigade ground battles or linear battles, but now the emphasis is modified to resemble the unique aspects of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the Army and Air Force missions are closely related in air-to-ground combat," said Lt. Col. Brendan O'Brien, 548th Combat Training Squadron director of operations at Barksdale. 

The Air Force previously had a Green Flag, which focused on electronic warfare, but it was later integrated into Red Flag. The new Green Flag is geared toward the current ground fight and the Air Force partnership with ground forces. 

"Traditionally taught close-air-support missions had to be modified to meet the needs of today's mission in the Middle East. With the current situation on the ground, Airmen and Soldiers are being called upon to provide support across a broad range of missions in an irregular warfare environment, missions that almost entirely focus on counterinsurgency and stability and recovery operations," Colonel O'Brien said. 

The Air Force is using the Green Flags to provide concurrent training to Airmen and prepare them for the types of missions and units they will support during war. 

Along with the Army troops, multiple coalition aircraft aided in the exercise. 

(Original source from an article by Master Sgt. Tonya Keebaugh and Senior Airman Travis Edwards, 99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs)