Wyvern Warriors stay rapidly ready

Photo By Staff Sgt. Caleb House | U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Beau Diers, 555th Fighter Squadron commander, gives a hand signal during a preflight walk around at Aviano Air Base, Italy, Feb. 12, 2019. Diers has commanded the Triple Nickel since June of 2018. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Caleb House)  

AVIANO AIR BASE, ITALY

02.15.2019

Story by Staff Sgt. Rebeccah Woodrow 

31st Fighter Wing

When it comes to sustaining lethal and combat ready forces, the 31st Fighter Wing stays ready, even when called to perform at short notice. To prove just how ready they are, the 555th Fighter Squadron, along with key support units participated in a readiness exercise at Aviano Air Base and Kresizny Air Base, Poland on Feb. 11, 2019.
The readiness exercise was set in motion to test the wing’s ability to rapidly generate and employ airpower across Europe. Within 24 hours, the 555th Fighter Squadron mission planned a simulated no-notice combat tasking while the 555th Aircraft Maintenance Unit re-configured F-16 Fighting Falcons from daily training use to combat ready status. The following morning, 12 F-16s departed Aviano, flew across Europe, executed the simulated combat mission, and landed in Poland. All 12 F-16s were serviced and flew back to Aviano in the afternoon.
“The exercise was very effective. We were able to prove that USAFE airpower can be rapidly employed, lethal, and agile if and when we are called to execute the mission,” said Lt. Col. Beau Diers, 555th Fighter Squadron commander.
Employing fighter wing operations involves many moving pieces that must work together to ensure optimum readiness.
“It takes an entire base to generate combat airpower,” Diers said. “The 555th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, 31st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 31st Munitions Squadron, 31st Maintenance Squadron, 31st Maintenance Group staff and the 31st Operations Support Squadron all played critical roles.”
The 31st FW was also assisted by its NATO allies in Poland.
“Our NATO partners in Poland are fantastic allies and we look forward to working with them again in the near future,” Diers said.
This exercise proved to be not only a test of 31st FW assets, but also a test of their Wyvern Warriors.
“The exercise demonstrated the wing’s ability to rapidly prepare for and execute a combat deployment tasking. Not just a portion of the fighter squadron, but the deployment, and combat employment, of an entire fighter squadron within 24 hours. We are pleased with the initial results and look forward to incorporating our lessons learned into future training opportunities like this,” Diers said.

• Date Taken: 02.15.2019
• Date Posted: 02.21.2019 05:30
• Story ID: 311378
• Location: AVIANO AIR BASE, IT