Luke Airmen deploy to Balikatan '09

  • Published
  • By Capt. Gerardo Gonzalez
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  More than 70 Airmen and F-16 Fighting Falcons from here deployed Saturday to a joint and bi-lateral exercise in the central Luzon Province of the Philippines that runs from Thursday until April 30.

Airmen from the 56th Fighter Wing will conduct operational, tactical training and civic assistance missions with the armed forces of the Philippines and other U.S. services during Exercise Balikatan '09.

"We are extremely proud to participate in this exercise," said Brig. Gen. Kurt Neubauer, 56th Fighter Wing commander. "The United States and the Republic of the Philippines are close friends and have a long history of working together."

This will be the first time F-16 fighters have participated in Balikatan and the first time in 16 years U.S. Air Force fighter aircraft will operate out of the Philippines, said Lt. Col. Jack Maixner, 63rd Fighter Squadron commander.

"Operational and tactical training with other services and countries vastly improves our ability to operate in real-world situations," said Colonel Maixner. "All air and ground participants will benefit greatly from sharing ideas, tactics, and techniques during mission planning, execution, and debrief."

The 63rd FS is leading the deployment but the Luke contingent will include operations, maintenance and medical Airmen from various squadrons.

Participants include pilots and operations personnel from the 63rd Fighter Squadron, 310th Fighter Squadron, and 56th Operations Support Squadron; maintenance personnel from the 63rd Aircraft Maintenance Unit, 756th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 56th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, 56th Component Maintenance Squadron and 56th Maintenance Operations Squadron; and medical personnel from the 56th Aerospace Medicine Squadron.

This is the 25th exercise in the Balikatan series and will consist of three simultaneous events -- humanitarian and civic assistance, a scenario-based staff exercise to practice joint force management at the headquarters level, and a cross training and field exercise.

Flying will not be the only mission on the agenda. The Airmen are also slated to participate in civic assistance missions.

"We have collected school supplies and sporting goods, which we will deliver to local Philippine orphanages," said Colonel Maixner. "There will also be an open house allowing the local populace to get an up-close look at an F-16."

The U.S. Pacific Command's III Marine Expeditionary Force is the exercise organizer from the U.S. side. This type of bilateral training is vital to maintaining readiness capabilities for both the U.S. and Philippine armed forces and is being conducted according to agreements made by both governments -- in particular, the Mutual Defense Treaty and the Visiting Forces Agreement.

"Personally, I am looking forward to meeting my counterparts in the Philippine air force to exchange ideas about the military profession and tactical aviation," Colonel Maixner said.