Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Daniel Heaton | Tech. Sgt. Andrew Hanni, 174th Attack Wing, New York Air National Guard, updates...... read more read more
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ALPENA, Mich. -- A group of experience maintenance Airmen from the New York Air National Guard are helping to facilitate the airpower component of Operation Northern Strike.
The Airmen from the 174th Attack Wing are providing crew chief, fuels, ground equipment, weapons and ammunition support to the various types of fighter and attack aircraft participating in the exercise, which is based at two major National Guard-operated training facilities in northern Michigan.
“We’re able to function as a maintenance group that can quickly be picked up and re-located to a position anywhere there’s a forward operating air field,” said 1st Lt. Chris Sturick, detachment commander of the New York maintenance contingent.
The New York Airmen are operating at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center. There, F-16 Fighting Falcon and A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft from various units and states are staging operations both at Alpena and the Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center. Over 300 Total Force fighter, bomber, mobility, and rotary sorties are planned in support of live fire exercises during the Aug. 4-22 exercise. In total, 24 units from 12 States and two Coalition partners will participate in the three-week event, involving as many as 5,000 Soldiers, Airmen and Sailors.
The group of about 20 New York Airmen are working at Alpena for the duration of the exercise.
The Airmen are part of a detached unit of the 174th AW, which is based in Syracuse, N.Y. The detached unit operates at the Wheeler-Sack Army Air Field at Fort Drum, N.Y., supporting a variety of types of aircraft that train on the air-to-ground ranges there.
“Our Airmen are all qualified on the A-10, F-16 and the F-15, meaning we bring a lot of diversity to the table,” said Senior Master Sgt. Edward Newcombe.
Newcombe said a benefit of the exercise was being able to work with other Air National Guard units.
“One of the other Wings brought a few junior Airmen to work in the fuels shop and our guy working in there has more than 20 years of experience,” Newcombe said. “So they were able to partner up and help the Airmen tap into some of his knowledge.”
About Operation Northern Strike
Centered at two of the nation's largest National Guard training facilities - Camp Grayling Joint Military Training Center and the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center - Operation Northern Strike is an annual National Guard Bureau sponsored Combined Live Fire Exercise. The exercise emphasizes the Theatre Air Control and Army Air Ground Systems (TACS/AAGS) within the Theatre Air Ground System (TAGS). It blends Maneuver, Close Air Support (CAS), Joint Fire Support, and Air Mobility in both Major Combat Operations and limited Operation Enduring Freedom scenarios.
| Date Taken: | 08.14.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 08.25.2014 15:59 |
| Story ID: | 140312 |
| Location: | ALPENA, MI, US |
| Web Views: | 225 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, New York Airmen provide boost to air operations during Northern Strike, by SMSgt Daniel Heaton, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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