GREEN FLAG 17-04: Simulations for real world situations

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Mercedes Taylor
  • 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

The 34th Combat Training Squadron executed Green Flag Little Rock 17-04, Feb. 9 – 19, 2017, one of Air Mobility Command’s largest exercises where a variety of real scenario-based routines were executed.

Team Little Rock partnered with multiple units within Air Mobility Command for training simulations staged at Little Rock Air Force Base and Alexandria, La.

"Since GFLR is not driven by a set training syllabus, each exercise is tailored to each individual unit's requirements," said U.S. Air Force Col. Charles Brown, 19th Airlift Wing commander. "No two exercises are the same and that helps the mobility enterprise by continuing to challenge their warfighting skills while providing real-world experiences with partners they may not be able to get with home-station training."

Aircrews participated in training scenarios such as dynamic retasking to execute on-call resupply airdrops; search and rescue operations; and survival, evasion, resistance and escape scenarios.

Approximately 4,300 personnel played a role in GFLR. In addition to Little Rock Air Force Base, Airmen from five other U.S. Air Force bases contributed in the exercise. Other GFLR players included the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, British Army and Royal Canadian Air Force.

“Developing aircrews and all support personnel to operate more effectively with our allies is one of the things we look forward to when we participate in Green Flag,” said Royal Canadian Air Force Maj. Gerald Fraser, 436 Transport Squadron deputy commanding officer.

Not only do GFLR players receive more tactical training, they gain experience operating with different service members.

“The U.S. Air Force service members learn how to integrate better,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Brian O’Bach, combined exercise control center director. “The U.S. Army gets to see airlift and how it affects the theatre and joint training.”

All participants in Green Flag receive realistic and tactical-level training to both better support local and global mobility operations.