Base C-130J's flex muscle at exercise

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Scott Poe
  • 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. --  The 41st, 61st and 48th Airlift Squadrons delivered Herculean muscle to Operation Dragon Spear Aug. 6. Dragon Spear was one of the most complex joint-training exercises in over a decade. The Joint Force Exercise at the U.S. Army's National Training Center on Fort Irwin, Calif., included over 1,500 fighting forces from XVIII Airborne Corps; 82nd Airborne Division; 75th Ranger Regiment; 3rd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne); and the U.S. Air Force. 

Joint Forcible Entry exercises train the Global Response Force and demonstrate their readiness to deploy and fight globally within hours as a Joint force. Joint Force Exercise Dragon Spear focused upon the interoperability, interdependence and integration of Conventional and Special Operations Forces in a complex dynamic combat scenario.

March Air Reserve Base was used as a staging ground for aircraft, paratroopers and heavy equipment. C-130's and C-17's were used to carry and drop more than 600 paratroopers from the Army's 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. The cargo planes also delivered more than 30 Army assets such as militarized all-terrain vehicles, howitzers and M1126 Stryker combat vehicles.

Not only was the mission of the C-130's to deliver equipment and personnel during the exercise, but also to sustain the Army after their initial needs were met, such as re-supply, follow-on forces and to medevac injured personnel.

"This was new territory," said Lt. Col. Thomas Lankford, 41st Airlift Squadron commander. "The Army has never done an airborne assault like that there before and we have never executed out of that location before."

The new environment and the opportunity for Team Little Rock to work with sister services provided a unique learning experience for the Airmen.

"This exercise was a great experience for the Airmen because it was different," said Lankford. "It was phenomenal training because it got everyone out of their comfort zones, and we don't always get the opportunity to train with the Army and their equipment."

Lankford went on to explain that day-to-day training revolves around airdrops. "We've been deployed back-to-back and the squadron has been very combat-focused in the last year, so what we have to do is get back to the basics- get back to the airdrop missions. It's a core competency and something the Army expects us to be good at," he said.

With most exercises there are areas of improvement identified and lessons learned, which is where training to adapt and overcome is put into play.

"The mission was successful, but not without a few hiccups," said Lankford. "But that's good training too; because now we have to figure out how to flex and continue sustaining the Army."

"The Airmen for Team Little Rock who were involved with planning and execution performed extremely well," said Lankford. "The Army leadership was extremely happy with the mission accomplishment. It was a great team effort and I'm glad we were a part of Dragon Spear."