For the primary time within the fourteen-year historical past of the Digital Flag: Coalition train, built-in forces from the US, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada fought in opposition to a peer adversary in a digital Indo-Pacific space of accountability. To extend fight effectiveness, the mixed power engaged collectively throughout air, land, sea, house, and cyber domains..
The 705th Fight Coaching Squadron, house of Air Fight Command’s Distributed Mission Operations Heart, executed VIRTUAL FLAG: Coalition 24 at Kirtland Air Power Base, New Mexico, and distributed websites throughout 4 international locations in the course of the two-week train, which concluded on Nov. 8.
VF:C is likely one of the U.S. Division of Protection’s largest workout routines, combining U.S. forces (U.S. Air Power, U.S. Area Power, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, and U.S. Marines) with worldwide companions (Royal Air Power, Royal Navy, U.Okay. Area Company, Royal Australian Air Power, Royal Australian Army, Royal Canadian Air Power, Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Canadian Army) in opposition to a high pacing problem in a high-end struggle throughout warfighting domains, in a large-scale theater and spectrum of battle.
“Train Digital Flag and related Fleet Artificial Coaching occasions supplied a singular atmosphere for the Royal Canadian Navy to collaborate with our coalition companions and allies. The complexity of the Service Strike Group and INDOPACOM [Indo-Pacific Command] state of affairs was extremely difficult and could be close to unimaginable to duplicate at sea,” stated RCN Lt. (N) Jonathan Nellan, Canadian Pacific Fleet. “Fleet Artificial Coaching can not change sensible reside coaching, however the coaching supplied on VF:C 24 enabled Royal Canadian Navy personnel to considerably broaden their warfighting talent units, all in an atmosphere the place errors are doable, and failure is an possibility.”
Roughly 493 coalition and joint warfighters completed 5,356 joint coaching occasions for 43 items utilizing seven networks and 23 completely different methods linked at 22 distributed websites worldwide by way of the DMOC’s data system networks.
Coalition forces function inside a concurrently reside, digital, and constructive atmosphere, permitting warfighters to coach to wage warfare in opposition to a peer adversary in an artificial atmosphere to enhance their built-in fight effectiveness. Digital situations, through which a person is attacking or defending inside a simulator, and constructive situations, through which computer-generated threats are fought in opposition to the mixed power, had been each used.
Following the conclusion of VF:C 23 in 2022, the DMOC redesigned the complete train, strategically aligning coaching priorities with the Division of Protection’s Nationwide Protection Technique by altering the AOR to an Indo-Pacific area that’s twice as giant as earlier VF:C AORs.
“The INDOPACOM AOR challenged the mixed power to deal with distinctive drawback units related to tyranny of distance, together with geographic separation, logistics, time, distance, and communications with a spotlight shift from a primarily land-based train to an expanded sea part,” stated U.S. Air Power Maj. Andrew Metz, 705th CTS/DMOC VF:C 24 train director.
“Train Digital Flag: Coalition 24, now primarily based on the INDOPACOM AOR and supporting [the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center’s] Pacing Problem Marketing campaign Plans, supplied excellent multi-domain warfighting coaching to all Canadian Forces train contributors,” stated RCAF Maj. Gary Stone, RCAF Aerospace Warfare Centre. “With Canada’s elevated strategic deal with the INDOPACOM AOR, the coaching obtained considerably enhanced members’ theatre-level situational consciousness the place command and management over huge distances is of paramount significance.”
For joint and coalition contributors, the DMOC develops reasonable and related coaching environments and situations, permitting particular person items so as to add components to finish required coaching aims or certifications throughout VF:C.
“Coaching at VF:C means stand-in forces within the first island chain are able to deliver to bear not solely the power of the Marine Corps however of the complete joint power and America’s terribly highly effective allies,” stated U.S. Marine 2nd Lt. Andrew Binder, third Marine Plane Wing intelligence officer.
“The bigger AOR additionally compelled our tactical C2 contributors to be extra proactive and use foresight to anticipate and handle the challenges they had been seeing relating to property remaining in a protection space, which was not a difficulty in our earlier AORs,” stated U.S. Air Power Capt. David Blessman, 705th CTS/DMOC assistant director of operations.
The U.S. Air Power Warfare Heart will conduct its first-ever mixed C2-driven, live-fly, and LVC train, Bamboo Eagle, in the course of the third week of Crimson Flag in 2024. The train will execute 24/7 operations at Nellis, Kirtland, and Hurlburt Subject, in addition to distributed areas. The DMOC will incorporate VF:C classes discovered into Bamboo Eagle situations and future VFs and VF:Cs.
“The DMOC is the one place to offer tactical C2 reasonable wartime rehearsal-style coaching, together with size of time,” stated Metz. “As a coalition, we’re growing and passing on real-world classes discovered by fixing completely different drawback units to allow tomorrow’s warfighter.”
Train VF:C introduced collectively parts that in any other case function individually, advancing interoperability, cohesion and enhanced communication amongst forces fostering mutual understanding and comradery.
“Essentially the most notable power is the broadening of our communication to grasp higher the nuances of how every completely different factor conducts enterprise and their respective expectations. We see the frequent working image of the place our house friends are headed; VF:C permits us to collaborate with allied forces in a capability we usually wouldn’t get, equivalent to working with U.S. Navy groups,” stated RCAF Sgt. Lia Spruyt, seventh Area Operations Squadron.
392nd Fight Coaching Squadron personnel underneath Delta 1, Area Coaching and Readiness Command, at Schriever Area Power Base, Colorado, supplied real-time train knowledge to Kirtland’s DMOC all through VFC, which strengthened C2 for the mixed power at Kirtland and its 22 distributed areas.
“One of many predominant aims of the train was preventing in an Indo-Pacific train state of affairs,” stated U.S. Air Power Reserve Employees Sgt. Alicia Gutierrez, eighth Area Warning Squadron mission administration operator. “We can not adequately put together for real-world peer adversaries if we don’t practice and plan for them.”
Throughout VF:C, the battlespace was used to coach and consider U.Okay. Area Command college students and efficiently combine coalition house specialist groups in a simulated operational atmosphere. The house group included house specialists from the U.S., U.Okay., Australia and Canada.
“We function in an all-domain capability in VF:C; we not solely discover methods to reinforce our space-based practices, however we even have the chance to look at what the opposite components—the Army and Navy, amongst others—are doing in actual time at every stage of the battle,” Spruyt.
Aircrews (C-17s at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and RAAF Amberley, E-3s at Tinker AFB, E-7As at RAAF Base Williamtown, MQ-9s from Creech AFB, MQ-9As from RAF Waddington, MQ-1Cs from Fort Hood, CP-140s at Canadian Forces Base Greenwood, RCAF CH-148s,and RC-135s from RAF Waddington) together with Airmen from the Tactical Operations Heart-Fastened at Robins AFB, coalition forces at Management and Reporting Centres at RAAF Base Williamtown and RCAF North Bay, third Marine Plane Wing Sailors on the Maritime Evaluation and Operations Centre and Tactical Air Management Heart, RAF and RAAF operators together with U.S. Air Nationwide Guard Airmen from Distributed Floor Stations, U.S. Army Troopers from the fifth Battlefield Coordination Detachment, participated onsite or at a linked or distributed location throughout VF:C making certain the execution of the train’s aims.
The U.S. Army’s MQ-1C Grey Eagle group mutually supported Strike Coordination and Reconnaissance and Floor Fight Air Patrol operations throughout VF:C to assist deter enemy forces permitting the liberty of maneuver for the U.S. Navy’s third Fleet.
RAAF and U.S. Army Air Protection Artillery Hearth Management Officers, or ADAFCOs, supplied deconfliction within the joint working space airspace and defended coalition forces in opposition to ballistic missile threats.
“Working along with our coalition companions and all branches of the U.S. navy, I discovered how an Air Operations Heart operates, the roles of naval and air property, and the significance of communication between everybody within the struggle,” stated U.S. Air Power Reserve Senior Airman Angelina Weissenburger, nineteenth Area Operations Squadron GPS tactician.
VF:C is a posh and built-in LVC coaching train specializing in simulation and coaching methods integration. RAAF Waddington and RAF Coningsby joint terminal assault controllers, or JTACs, skilled within the Joint Terminal Management Coaching Rehearsal System, a 270-degree dome simulator. JTACS used the digital interfaces within the dome to view focusing on tools, international positioning methods, and radios which might be at present in use within the subject.
“The U.Okay. Air Assist Operations Squadron has supported the Digital Flag workout routines for a lot of years, and we proceed to get wonderful coaching worth from our participation. The DMOC facility allows our personnel to practise their techniques in a safe atmosphere, linked throughout all operational domains while linked to our international key companions,” stated RAF Wing Commander Darren Haith, U.Okay. ASOS officer commanding. “It’s a useful coaching instrument for the warfighter throughout air, house, land, cyber and sea; encouraging revolutionary pondering to combine multi-domain capabilities.”
“Earlier iterations of this train had been not as tightly centered on getting ready coalition forces to compete and win in opposition to near-peer adversaries. Digital Flag: Coalition fills that void because the Air Power’s premier distributed battle administration train, in that it gives fight consultant, joint, and coalition, artificial coaching throughout all domains in assist of the warfighter,” stated U.S. Air Power Col. Robert Smith, 505th Fight Coaching Group commander.
The 705th CTS stories to the 505th Fight Coaching Group, Nellis AFB, Nevada, and the 505th Command and Management Wing, headquartered at Hurlburt Subject, Florida. In assist of U.S. Air Power, joint, and coalition warfighter readiness, the DMOC develops, integrates, and delivers a strong multi-domain atmosphere for coaching, techniques, methods, and procedures growth, testing and experimentation.
“VF:C 24 challenged our coalition in a marketing campaign in opposition to an analytical and well-equipped peer adversary after which allowed us to review how we will enhance our efficiency within the struggle. Full integration of coalition forces assist permits operators to develop techniques that leverage house capabilities and drastically enhance their total situational consciousness,” stated U.S. Air Power Reserve Grasp Sgt. David Hodge, nineteenth SOPS Weapons and Ways flight chief.
For extra data relating to VF and VF:C train participation or to request a distinguished customer tour, contact the 505th CCW public affairs advisor at 850-884-9476 or 505CCW.PA.PublicAffairs@us.af.mil.
