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    Exercise Virtual Flag 16-1 brings 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command to 183rd Fighter Wing

    32nd Army and Air Missile Defense Command works Virtual Flag 16-1 with 183d Air Operations Group

    Photo By Master Sgt. Patrick Kerr | U.S. Army Captains Brian Haley, center, and Matthew Sosnowski, right, of the 32nd Army...... read more read more

    SPRINGFIELD, IL, UNITED STATES

    12.11.2015

    Story by Lt. Col. Laura Fogerty 

    183rd Wing

    SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Capt. Brian Haley is an Attack Operations Chief with the 32rd Army Air and Missile Defense Command at Fort Bliss, Texas. He’s spent the last two weeks training with the 183rd Air Operations Group as part of exercise Virtual Flag, Dec. 2–10, 2015.

    The U.S. Army assigns a team of highly trained experts to air operations centers during major combat to support theater missile defense in joint operations.

    “Essentially, we’re part of Air Force operations,” said Haley. “It’s our job to coordinate and integrate with the Air Force to deliver theater missile defense.”

    Attack operations, which are Haley’s specialty, are offensive actions that destroy and disrupt enemy missile systems.

    “Attack operations are integrated into the air tasking order. We’re part of air operations planning and execution processes,” said the combat veteran.

    Haley, who is also an AH-64 Apache helicopter pilot, explained that TMD also includes passive operations such as tactical warnings and active defense operations like engaging enemy launch platforms.

    Virtual Flag is a recurring exercise that provides training in joint operations utilizing a simulated battlespace distributed to connected participants. Training networks are specifically designed to link simulators from around the world.

    The U.S. Air Force’s Distributed Mission Operations Center at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, delivered the simulation. The DMOC developed the scenario and training events and acted as a central hub for the exercise.

    Thousands of training events were played out by land, sea, air and space forces within the Department of Defense. The battle setting mirrored the contested and degraded environments in current conflicts.

    The 32nd AAMDC provided a seven-person team for the two-week exercise. More than 350 personnel from the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Navy participated nationwide. About 60 personnel were assigned to the air operations center here.

    The center features a sophisticated array of systems and technologies that enable the unit to train and operate with partners at the local, state and federal level.

    In addition to the unit’s federal alignment with 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern), at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, the 183rd is the operational base of the Illinois National Guard’s Joint Task Force for complex catastrophes.

    Since opening in 2013, the 183rd has hosted multiple training exercises with military and civilian partners.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 12.11.2015
    Date Posted: 12.11.2015 15:51
    Story ID: 184303
    Location: SPRINGFIELD, IL, US

    Web Views: 352
    Downloads: 1

    PUBLIC DOMAIN