94th FS: Developing a mission commander

Photo By Master Sgt. Carlin Leslie | An U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor taxis during Red Flag 17-4 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Aug. 21, 2017. Red Flag is a multi-dimensional air and ground war exercise, including jets, helicopters and ground forces in the simulated combat environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Carlin Leslie)  

NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, NV, UNITED STATES

08.24.2017

Story by Staff Sgt. Carlin Leslie 

Joint Base Langley-Eustis

In the airspace over a war zone dozens of aircraft from combatant commands and coalition forces are flying at top speeds around the area of responsibility. To some looking on, this may seem like a traffic jam. But, this traffic jam is actually a pre-determined mission that has been laid out by one individual.

That role falls onto the mission commander, a sole pilot that is given orders by the commander to utilize the assets available to him, to create a successful mission

While at Red Flag 17-4 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., two F-22 Raptor pilots of the 94th Fighter Squadron, were given those reigns during their mission commander certification upgrades, to develop them as exceptional leaders to lead the world’s most powerful teams.

“Capt. Flash and Capt. Mach have continued to show the attitude and motivation to continue up the ranks as mission commanders, from four-ship flight leads,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Ocho, 1st FW weapons officer and 94th Fighter Squadron pilot. “Now these two pilots are learning how to integrate multiple assets and come together as a joint coalition force, to figure out how to best achieve the commanders intent.”

Starting at being a wingman, a pilot would then become a two-ship flight lead and then that pilot would become a four-ship flight lead and then mission commander for the Raptor community is the next step increasing readiness to win any fight, any time.

According to Ocho, being able to understand the F-22 Raptor fighting tactics and then take apart a tactical problem presented by the commander before you even leave the ground is key to success.

“Becoming a mission commander is a huge responsibility because you are in charge of leading an entire team into war,” said Capt. Flash, 94th Fighter Squadron pilot. “Red Flag 17-4 has been a good precursor to learn all the processes involved in mission planning, executing and de-briefing and effectively coming up with a plan that's going to be one that will achieve mission success, while minimizing losses, in a simulated combat environment”

But with becoming a mission commander for a large air exercise there is a huge learning curve going from a four ship flight lead of F-22’s back home, to commanding the available assets at Red Flag, continued Flash.

According to Capt. Mach, 94th Fighter Squadron pilot and chief of mobility, the biggest difference from a four-ship flight lead is that you can get into the minutia of the details and how you're going to plan your own for ship's execution. Whereas a mission commander you have to do not only that, but stay above the detail level, where the responsibility for mission success rests on the pilots shoulders.

“I'm fortunate enough to have been deemed that I could execute as a mission commander,” said Capt. Mach, 94th Fighter Squadron pilot and chief of mobility, “To come back at the end of the day and see the gameplan that I had come up with go successfully and to see that you can relinquish some of that authority while still providing key direction to the overall force package, is very rewarding.”

Red Flag was established in 1975 as one of the initiatives directed by General Robert J. Dixon, then commander of Tactical Air Command, to better prepare our forces for combat. Tasked to plan and control this training, the 414th Combat Training Squadron's mission is to maximize the combat readiness, capability and survivability of participating units by providing realistic training in a combined air, ground, space and electronic threat environment while providing for a free exchange of ideas between forces.

• Date Taken: 08.24.2017
• Date Posted: 08.24.2017 20:50
• Story ID: 245901
• Location: NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, NV, US