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    7th Air Force wraps up Max Thunder, Pacific Thunder exercises

    7th Air Force wraps up Max Thunder, Pacific Thunder exercises

    Courtesy Photo | A U.S. Air Force F-16, U.S. Navy EA-18 and two Republic of Korea F-15Ks break...... read more read more

    OSAN AIR BASE, SOUTH KOREA

    04.25.2014

    Story by Tech. Sgt. Thomas Doscher 

    7th Air Force

    OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea – Two combined, joint exercises came to a close this week with the final sortie of Exercise Max Thunder April 25.

    Exercise Max Thunder and Exercise Pacific Thunder, held at Gwangju and Osan Air Bases, respectively, brought together U.S. forces from every branch and units from the Republic of Korea Air Force to practice air combat and combat search and rescue over the Korean Peninsula the last two weeks.

    Held twice a year at Kunsan and Gwangju Air Bases, Max Thunder replicates scenarios and planning cycles in a robust exercise setting that simulates combined operations against a hostile force and provides large-force employment training for U.S. and ROK military personnel.

    This combined large-force employment exercise included F-16s from the 8th Fighter Wing, and 51st Fighter Wing, F-18s from Marine Air Group 12, EA-18Gs from U.S. Seventh Fleet, C-130s from the 374th Airlift Wing, F-15Cs and E-3Bs from the 18th Wing, numerous ROKAF aircraft and accompanying support personnel during the two-week exercise.

    Maj. Kendall Spencer, 7th Air Force’s lead Max Thunder planner, said Max Thunder’s greatest success is how it brings so many disparate units together.

    “The biggest success was being able to bring a bunch of Joint ROK and U.S. assets all to Gwangju Air Base to be able to brief, plan, execute and debrief in such a close-knit setting,” he said. “Players who've never worked together before were able to spend two weeks flying together to get high-quality air power centric training.”

    With more than 900 U.S. personnel attending and more than 100 aircraft on the ramp, this particular Max Thunder was the largest since the exercise began in 2008. Spencer said some training flights included more than 70 aircraft at a time.

    “It’s almost as big as some Red Flag exercises,” Spencer said, referring to the large-force international exercises held in Alaska and Nevada. “It says there’s a need for this exercise here in the Korea Theater of Operations. It also shows that the military relationship between the U.S. and ROK is very healthy and flourishing, and that relationship is able to sustain expanding readiness exercises such as Max Thunder.”

    Pacific Thunder, held on Osan AB, replicates scenarios designed to train rescue crews to execute and validate tactics, techniques and procedures, as well as integrate with combined air and command and control assets. The exercise will included A-10s from the 51st Fighter Wing, HH-60 Pave Hawks from the 18th Wing, Marine Corps AV-8Bs from Marine Attack Squadron 223 and numerous ROKAF aircraft including KF-16s, F-15Ks, KA-1s and HH-60s.

    Combat search and rescue missions are incredibly complex and require coordination between several different players.

    Capt. Daniel Faulk, HH-60 pilot from the 33rd Rescue Squadron, said Pacific Thunder gives all of those players an opportunity to work and learn hand-in-hand.

    “The biggest challenge with our job is that we don’t get to do this that often,” Faulk said. “So we have to make the most of our training time here. There’s a lot of communication and a lot of coordination that goes on. So the time, effort and money that goes into exercise like Pacific Thunder makes sure that, in a real-world scenario, we are trained to the standard that we need to be.”

    Capt. Edward Porter, 31st Rescue Squadron combat rescue officer, agreed, noting that the training provided now allows them to lay the groundwork for dealing with issues that come up later in a real-world event.

    “Every rescue is going to be different,” Porter said. “What we can do here is work on procedures that get us through the usual problems that come up and give us a framework to address any sort of unforeseen event during a rescue.”

    Both exercises were combined joint exercises, meaning they included participants from other military branches and another nation. In the case of Pacific Thunder, the Marines of VMA 223 from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., played in a variety of roles from providing close air support to playing enemy aircraft.

    Marine Lt. Col. Roger McDuffie, VMA 223 commander, said joint exercises like Pacific Thunder give the branches the opportunity to learn from one another.

    “The big thing for us is to continue to do joint force exercises like this where we leverage the capabilities of the other services, because in the future that’s how we’re going to operate,” McDuffie said. “Exercises like this allow us to train together prior going into a conflict so we are more familiar with our tactics, techniques and procedures prior to getting into an actual event where hostile forces are on the ground.”

    Spencer said the same holds true for Max Thunder where ROK and U.S. forces who may one day go to war together get the opportunity to train together more effectively.

    “This exercise allows us to mission plan, brief and debrief with one another face to face, and that’s very important when building a strong alliance,” he said. “It provides an opportunity for both on-peninsula and area flying assets and joint airpower assets to work face-to-face, and that's a lot more cost effective and efficient than traveling to Alaska to do the same.”

    Both exercises are part of a continuous exercise program to enhance interoperability between U.S. and ROK forces and is not tied to any real-world or specific threats. These exercises highlight the longstanding military partnership, commitment and enduring friendship between the two nations, help to ensure peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and reaffirm the U.S. commitment to stability in the Northeast Asia region.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 04.25.2014
    Date Posted: 04.24.2014 21:37
    Story ID: 127516
    Location: OSAN AIR BASE, KR

    Web Views: 141
    Downloads: 1

    PUBLIC DOMAIN