BH 17-1: Mustangs take to the sky

Photo By Tech. Sgt. Victor J. Caputo | An F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the 36th Fighter Squadron taxis to the runway for a training mission while an A-10 Thunderbolt II from the 25th Fighter Squadron takes off during Exercise Beverly Herd 17-1 at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, March 1, 2017. Pilots from both fighter squadrons flew multiple sorties during exercise Beverly Herd, honing their flying skills and ability to work around the rugged ROK landscape. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Victor J. Caputo)  

PYEONGTAEK, 41, SOUTH KOREA

03.01.2017

Story by Staff Sgt. Victor J. Caputo  

51st Fighter Wing

OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea – Routine exercises held at Osan Air Base rarely focus on the same training goals, and the desired learning objectives shift to ensure personnel’s wartime missions are enhanced to be ready to “Fight Tonight.”

Beverly Herd 17-1 came with a heavy emphasis on the 51st Fighter Wing’s capability to project strategic air control and dominance on short notice across the ROK.

“You might say these exercises give everyone a proverbial peek behind the curtain at what combat in this AOR might look like,” said Maj. Jonathan Garner, 51st Operations Support Squadron assistant director of operations. “This is an incredibly powerful tool, enabling us to be prepared at a moment's notice to take the fight to the enemy.”

The sorties flown during this exercise cover a range of possible missions, from air-to-air combat to close air support, and aircraft from all three flying squadrons currently at Osan participate: the 36th and 25th Fighter Squadrons and the New Jersey Air National Guard’s 177th FS.

“You’ll find few, if any, places on earth with fighter sortie generation on scale with what is generated in the ROK,” Garner said. “That’s an incredible amount of dynamic firepower training to deter and neutralize those who would do us [and our allies] harm.”

Day-to-day routines take a backseat during these exercises, with an all-hands-on-deck approach taken to dedicate as close to 100 percent effort spent towards mission enablement and accomplishment.

“There’s no denying the might of the 51st FW and what we’re all capable of if we were called to action, but the complete, dominating air power that we produce during these exercises is enough to make our enemies think twice before they attempt something drastic,” said Col. Larry Card, 51st Operations Group commander. “The combination of our two in-house fighter squadrons, the support from our Air National Guard brethren deployed here, and the cohesion of all of the support units on base makes the Mustangs not just domineering but a force to be reckoned with to defend the Korean peninsula alongside our ROKAF partners.”

• Date Taken: 03.01.2017
• Date Posted: 03.01.2017 05:00
• Story ID: 225291
• Location: PYEONGTAEK, 41, KR