By Lance Cpl. Ryan A. Rholes, Northern Edge Joint Information Bureau Public Affairs
FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska (NNS) -- Thirteen operators from a West-coast based SEAL team worked hand and hand with Army pilots from Task Force 49, 1-52 Aviation Battalion, Bravo Company to perform final checks on equipment during a training evolution designed to promote and develop interoperability June 15.
The exercise was part of Exercise Northern Edge 2009 (NE09), which is one of a series of U.S. Pacific Command exercises that prepare joint forces to respond to crises in the Asian Pacific region.
Pilots aboard the Chinook CH-47D used this evolution to practice troop transportation and dropping troops while using a two-wheel landing.
"Troops transportation is a large part of what we do, but something we have not been able to train for lately," said Capt. Thomas Pierce, Chinook pilot.
"Having these guys in the back added an element of realism unattainable with our ground units currently deployed."
Landing on two wheels allows pilots to drop troops in confined spaces that do not allow for conventional landings, added Pierce.
Although the training evolution provided a good training opportunity for the Army pilots, they were not the only ones who gained from the experience.
"We rarely get the chance to work with the Chinooks, so this is a good chance to familiarize ourselves with the airframe, and how to get on it and off it quickly," said Darrin, a SEAL who's rank and last name are withheld to protect his identity. "We use this airframe to get us to the fight and to get us out."
The pilots inserted the SEALs at three different locations. At each location, the SEAL team practiced exiting the aircraft quickly, establishing security and properly reboarding the aircraft while maintaining a security element. This evolution is one of several the SEAL team will participate in while attending NE09.
Showing posts with label Exercise Northern Edge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Exercise Northern Edge. Show all posts
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Exercise Northern Edge 2009 kicks into high gear
by Marine Staff Sgt. Andrew W. Miller, Northern Edge Joint Information Bureau
Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska (AFNS) -- Exercise Northern Edge 2009 officially kicked off June 15 at various locations throughout Alaska.
Participants from all branches of the military are training together in order to hone their tactics, techniques and procedures associated with defensive counter-air, close-air support, air interdiction of marine targets and personnel recovery missions.
Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni is supporting the evolution at Eielson Air Force Base with various components of personnel including Marines and sailors with Marine Aircraft Group 12 headquarters, Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 224, Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 , Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 12, and augmentees from Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron such as the Provost Marshal's Office and Public Affairs. Additional Marines are also supporting from Marine Air Control Squadron 4 out of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan. Also from Futenma, Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 is operating at Elmendorf Air Force Base. In all, approximately 290 Marines and sailors from III Marine Expeditionary Force are participating.
"Northern Edge is MAG-12's best opportunity to get together with the Navy and Air Force to practice advanced tactics in missions that are similar to what we would have to do here in the Pacific area of operations," said Lt. Col. James Walker, MAG-12 operations officer. "We work with large forces here, 50 to 60 aircraft at a time, and that's not something we get to do on a daily basis. So, this is a good opportunity for MAG-12 to train in a tactical environment."
Although the event is headquartered out of Elmendorf Air Force Base, activities are taking place across the massive training grounds of Alaska in order to prepare joint forces to respond to crises in the Asian Pacific region.
According to Air Force Lt. Gen. Dana Atkins, commanding general of Alaskan Command and 11th Air Force, being able to train here is valuable because there are more than more than 65,000 square miles of available training space over land, and 120,000 when including the Gulf of Alaska. This space includes Alaska's Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex, Gulf of Alaska restricted air space, and an in-transit corridor connecting military training air space and live-fire training ranges.
"Northern Edge is the premier exercise conducted within the Pacific Command's area of responsibility," said General Atkins. "It lets our joint warfighters learn about each other."
Learning about each other, and the way the varying services operate is very important according to Air Force Maj. Lyle Dawley, Northern Edge exercise control team chief.
"Communication can be a big challenge," he said. "We don't always speak the same language whether we are on the ground or in the air."
That is something he said he hopes service members can learn from and take away from this exercise considering there are almost 5,000 service members participating in the exercise aboard ships in the Gulf of Alaska and approximately 2,000 who are here from other bases and stations across the United States, Japan and Korea.
Exercise Northern Edge is an 11-day exercise and is scheduled to conclude here June 26.
Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska (AFNS) -- Exercise Northern Edge 2009 officially kicked off June 15 at various locations throughout Alaska.
Participants from all branches of the military are training together in order to hone their tactics, techniques and procedures associated with defensive counter-air, close-air support, air interdiction of marine targets and personnel recovery missions.
Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni is supporting the evolution at Eielson Air Force Base with various components of personnel including Marines and sailors with Marine Aircraft Group 12 headquarters, Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 224, Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 , Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 12, and augmentees from Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron such as the Provost Marshal's Office and Public Affairs. Additional Marines are also supporting from Marine Air Control Squadron 4 out of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan. Also from Futenma, Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 is operating at Elmendorf Air Force Base. In all, approximately 290 Marines and sailors from III Marine Expeditionary Force are participating.
"Northern Edge is MAG-12's best opportunity to get together with the Navy and Air Force to practice advanced tactics in missions that are similar to what we would have to do here in the Pacific area of operations," said Lt. Col. James Walker, MAG-12 operations officer. "We work with large forces here, 50 to 60 aircraft at a time, and that's not something we get to do on a daily basis. So, this is a good opportunity for MAG-12 to train in a tactical environment."
Although the event is headquartered out of Elmendorf Air Force Base, activities are taking place across the massive training grounds of Alaska in order to prepare joint forces to respond to crises in the Asian Pacific region.
According to Air Force Lt. Gen. Dana Atkins, commanding general of Alaskan Command and 11th Air Force, being able to train here is valuable because there are more than more than 65,000 square miles of available training space over land, and 120,000 when including the Gulf of Alaska. This space includes Alaska's Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex, Gulf of Alaska restricted air space, and an in-transit corridor connecting military training air space and live-fire training ranges.
"Northern Edge is the premier exercise conducted within the Pacific Command's area of responsibility," said General Atkins. "It lets our joint warfighters learn about each other."
Learning about each other, and the way the varying services operate is very important according to Air Force Maj. Lyle Dawley, Northern Edge exercise control team chief.
"Communication can be a big challenge," he said. "We don't always speak the same language whether we are on the ground or in the air."
That is something he said he hopes service members can learn from and take away from this exercise considering there are almost 5,000 service members participating in the exercise aboard ships in the Gulf of Alaska and approximately 2,000 who are here from other bases and stations across the United States, Japan and Korea.
Exercise Northern Edge is an 11-day exercise and is scheduled to conclude here June 26.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Joint Exercise Northern Edge Ensures Maritime Security
Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) Airman Kelsey Gifford, from Augusta, Ga., communicates with hangar deck control while hangar bay personnel transfer a F/A-18C Hornet from the "Death Rattlers" of Marine Strike Fighter Squadron (VMFA) 323 to the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). John C. Stennis and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 are participating in Northern Edge 2009, a joint exercise which focuses on detecting and tracking units at sea, in the air and on land. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kenneth Abbate/ Released)By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Steve Owsley
GULF OF ALASKA (NNS) -- John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group assets consisting of USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 and USS Antietam (CG 54) arrived in the Gulf of Alaska June 15 for exercise Northern Edge 2009.
The exercise provides real-world proficiency in detection and tracking of units at sea, in the air and on land and response to multiple crises.
Approximately 9,000 U.S. active-duty and Reserve component Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines and more than 200 aircraft will take part in Northern Edge June 15-26.
"Northern Edge is one of the biggest joint exercises that we do in this country, and it's a great opportunity for John C. Stennis to go up there and participate," said Stennis Commanding Officer Capt. Joseph Kuzmick. "There's a lot of room and lots of places to fly that make this a very robust exercise. It's exciting for me to take this team up there and see how we do."
According to Kuzmick, Northern Edge is an Air Force-run exercise, but the workload is split evenly between Air Force and Navy assets.
"We're going to play the chief asset of the naval component commander," said Kuzmick. "We'll be operating as an aircraft carrier in the exercise scenario, and we'll be applying our air power to the problem."
Northern Edge is designed to be an air-centric exercise to train units in joint air operations tactics and command and control in a cost-effective and low-risk environment. Every branch of the military is scheduled to have aircraft involved in the exercise.
"It's incredibly important that if we are going to fight together that we train together," said Kuzmick. "We need to learn each other's languages, each other's tactics, techniques and procedures so that we can operate relatively seamlessly as a very effective tool."
Northern Edge operations will be conducted within the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex, which includes more than 60,000 square miles of air space and the Gulf of Alaska, which encompasses 50,000 square miles of air space.
Joint service participation utilizes U.S. maritime and air forces, focusing on common threats to ensure maritime security.
Operations Specialist 1st Class Lee Tran, from Portland, Oregon, monitors links in the tactical flag command center aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). A link is a high frequency, narrow band transmitter used for communicating with outside forces. Stennis is participating in Northern Edge 2009, a joint exercise that focuses on detecting and tracking objects at sea, in the air and on land. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Josue L. Escobosa/ Released)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)