Green Flag West is an advanced, realistic, and relevant Air to Surface training exercise, preparing joint and coalition warfighters to meet combatant commander requirements across Air, Space, and Cyberspace. It is primarily conducted in conjunction with U.S. Army National Training Center exercises at Fort Irwin, California. It is a Joint exercise administered by the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center and Nellis Air Force Base through the 549th Combat Training Squadron.
On June 12, 2018, I woke up at 01:45, donned my Air Force uniform and headed for the hotel lobby in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In the early hours of the morning, temperatures were already rising as I hauled my camera gear and a case of 50 water bottles to the hatchback of our government minivan with my co-worker and three other strangers.