Exercise Global Thunder is U.S. Strategic Command's annual field training and battle staff exercise, designed to exercise all mission areas with primary emphasis on nuclear command and control.
Global Thunder provides training opportunities for forces to deter, and if necessary, defeat a military attack against the United States - employing forces as directed by the president.
"Strategic deterrence, nuclear force employment, and command and control remain core missions for the Department of Defense," said Col. James Dawkins, 5th Bomb Wing commander. "This exercise demonstrates USSTRATCOM's ability to carry out its strategic nuclear deterrence mission."
The Global Thunder exercises are designed to reflect the ongoing evolution of USSTRATCOM and its components providing opportunities to incorporate the most current technology and techniques in support of these efforts.
Following traffic was monitored by Jeff Haverlah in Houston and is related to this exercise: Thanks for sharing with the rest of us Jeff.
1931z 27 Oct 12 11175.0 was active at 1900z and 1930z with ANGRY
MAN (good/fair levels here) with the "standing by for traffic" statement
(x2).
2005z 27 Oct 12 11175.0 was active at 2003z with ANDREWS (fair/good
levels) with a 6-character EAM (AMGY2H) "FOR YANKEE FORCE".
2026z 27 Oct 12 15016.0 was active at 2023z with ANDREWS (good
levels) bcsting a 6-character EAM (AMM6XU) "FOR YANKEE FORCE".
2231z 27 Oct 12 11175.0 was active at at 2030z with ANDREWS (good
levels) bcsting a 28-character EAM (VHHAFZ). At 2032z (after the completion
of the ANDREWS xmsn) ANGRY MAN was on frequency with the "standing by for
traffic statement". Nothing heard since until...
11175.0 was
active at 2230z with ANGRY MAN (fair/good) with the "standing by for traffic"
statement.
1935z 28 Oct 12 8992.0 was active at 1930z with CARPENTER (good
levels here) bcsting 32-character EAM (IEPION) with the character count
statement, closing with the "Standing by for traffic" statement (x2), and
out. Simulcasting same on at least 11175.0 (fair/good) with nothing heard on
4724.0 or 15016.0. H+00/h+30 active. Suspected 'glass activity.
2024z 28 Oct 12 11175.0 was active at 1956z with ANDREWS bcsting a
28-character EAM
(VH5VNQ).
At 1958z CARPENTER (guess; no id
given) keyed the 11175.0 in preparation for their H+00 EAM restoral. At 1959z
an unknown station (garbled id, good to fair levels; deep voice) called
"(sounded like "bowel" or "b-owl" aircraft) and requested they "check into
the net.
At 2000z CARPENTER (fair) was up with VH5VNQ but did not
close with the "standing by for traffic" statement. He dueled with ANDREWS
bcsting their H+00 restoral of VH5VNQ and the 28-character EAM
(VHPPQ7).
At the conclusion of the ANDREWS bcst, RED RIVER (now the
id is clearly heard) came up on freq with another call for "All (something;
could not make it out) check in with (sounded like "weather") on HF". RED
RIVER was then up with a string of multiple numbers, and then calling what
sounded
like "b-owl" aircraft again. He may have acknowledged a call from a
"b-owl ##".
At 2008z CARPENTER (fair/weak) was up on 11175.0 with
the "standing by for traffic statement" (x2) and out.
11175.0 was
active with (sounded like "broad pin" or ??; weak/fair but unable to get a
clear id) bcdsting VH5VNQ and VHPPQ7 and ending with the "standing by for
traffic statement." H+10/h+40 activity. Possible TACAMO LANT
activity.
At 2023z RED RIVER (good strong) called (unable to make
out) 11.
2051z 28 Oct 12 13200.0 was found active at 2045z while scrolling
through the HFGCS with (something; maybe AMBER) 14 (good/fair levels here)
bcsting a 274 message of ? groups (missed complete message). Last 10 groups:
XMP ROS XMZ WNB CTV XMP YTI HTF CTR WNB [note the repeats].
Immediately after 14's bcst AMBER 14 (good/strong levels) came up on 13200.0
with "This is AMBER 14 with an EXERCISE GLOBAL THUNDER 274 message of 21
groups" and into TYN XCE KSP RVO RAS GQE WNB YNL EJQ ROS XMP [maybe RMOS or
ROS] XMJ WNB CTV XMPYTI HTF YTI WNB XMP [again, note the repeats]. And
out.
274 messages (replaced 369 messages a bunch of years ago) are
sometimes heard; at least one instance of an "JCS Exercise Global Guardian"
EAM was heard in the late 90s during a GLOBAL GUARDIAN exercise; but what
is unusual (to me) is the use of 13200.0. I didn't hear these
stations
rolling through the other HFGCS freqs. Has 13200.0 become
"special"?
It also confirmed that this is a GLOBAL THUNDER 13 exercise
instead of a GLOBAL LIGHTNING 13 exercise presumed to be common at this time
of the year.
2110z 28 Oct 12 Post (nuclear) attack battle damage traffic. I've
never heard a stated GLASS EYE report during these exercises such as the
following until now.
13200.0 was active at 2054z with ANDREWS
bcsting a 28-character EAM (VHS7WL).
13200.0 was active at 2107z
with (could not make out id) 14 calling SKYMASTER with "GLASS EYE" (spoken)
"flash traffic": "FLASH 281930 FLASH KKOFF FLASH 1 FLASH 02 FLASH 7A FLASH
FLASH"; then repeated to SKYMASTER and gone. Apparently in the blind with no
heard response from any SKYMASTER. [Would that be KOFF?]
2141z 28 Oct 12 13200.0 was active at 2130z with ANDREWS' h+00/h+30
restoral of VHS7WL; VHPPQ7; VH5UNQ.
13200.0 was active at the
immediate completion of the ANDREWS' restoral with A**** 15 (sounds like
AGROM or AMBER; weak/fair) calling SKYMASTER "on 13200" with "274 message of
20 groups" and then into XQK LID Y?? HTF SNV HTF PNU TQA NGI XMP ??? MKD S?P
?H? XIX MKD WNB HTF YTI XMP, and repeated.
13200.0 was active at
2145z with A**** 14 (maybe AGROM (sounds like) 14) calling SKYMASTER with a
274 message of 28 groups and into DTP SAJ UQG RVO COS WNB YNL EYI TQC XMP ROS
XMA WNB YTI HTF YTI XMP MJB SNV GXP WNB CHL MKD XMP IVG ?NB VZR XMP and
repeated, and gone. Again, not the repeated groups. They rush through the
groups in their transmissions.. Lost the freq to a neighbor's TV at
2153z.
2244z 28 Oct 12 11175.0 was active at 2240z with BROAD BEAM (fair
levels here) "standing by for traffic" (x2) and out. H+10/h+40 activity.
2321z 28 Oct 12 11175.0 was active at 2259z with SIGONELLA (fair
levels here) with a test count and gone.
11175.0 was active at
2300z with CARPENTER (strong levels here) with the "standing by for traffic"
statement (x2) and out.
11175.0 was active at 2304z with BROAD BEAM
(fair levels) bcsting a 20-character EAM (IERZ2T) and simulcasting same on
4724.0 (weak), 8992.0 (good/strong), and 15016.0 (weak). I don't recall ever
hearing a player in these nets (at least since the major preamble "split" at
01 Oct 96)
transmitting this preamble series of strings
(6/20/variable).
11175.0 was active at 2310z with BROAD BEAM
"standing by for traffic" (x2) and out. No restoral string.
11175.0 was active at 2311z with OFFUTT (good levels) bcsting a "DTMF test
count" (short count) and gone.
8992.0 was active at 2334z with CARPENTER (strong levels here) bcsting the
20-character EAM (IERZ2T)[VRCYG26WYB7PC2] followed with the "standing by for
traffic" statement and out. (That suggests a h+04/h+34 window.)
8992.0 was active at 2337z with (maybe OFFUTT; not paying attention; good
levels) bcsting the 20-character EAM IERZ2T but with the reading including
the operator saying "item 13 garbled" in both readings of the string. (That
would be the "6".)
0003z 29 Oct 12 8992.0 was active at 0000z with SAM WORTH
(strong/good levels here) standing by for traffic (x2) and out. CARPENTER's
new day callsign.