Photo By Tech. Sgt. Heather Salazar | Capt. Katherine Hirschler assigned to the 535th Airlift Squadron at Joint Base Pearl...... read more read more
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ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE BASE AMBERLEY, Queensland--More than 30 service members from the U.S. Air Force joined their counterparts in Australia for an inaugural two-week, interoperability exercise.
Exercise GLOBAL DEXTERITY ‘19 is a follow-up event from the first USAF and Royal Australian Air Force integrated flight crew operations executed earlier this year. GD ’19 aims to extend the lessons learned by forging the way for USAF and RAAF service members to fly C-17s with mixed aircrews from each of their squadrons.
“We are here to integrate as one unit at the tactical level,” said Wing Commander Steve Ferguson, Commanding Officer of the RAAF’s No. 36 Squadron. “By integrating our platforms and crews we are testing how effective we are in our mission to ensure a safe and secure Indo-Pacific.”
The United States and Australia share an interest in advancing security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. Keeping in line with integrating partner capabilities allows the USAF and RAAF to further develop operations to stay ready and resilient.
“This past May we received the clearance to observe on one another’s crews,” said Capt. Josh Moore, 535th AS C-17 Globemaster III pilot. “GLOBAL DEXTERITY is the first time we are truly operating as an intermixed crew, with our pilots flying their aircraft and their pilots flying ours.”
Exercise GD ‘19 promotes the standardization and compatibility of equipment and displays capabilities of current and future military operations with the RAAF.
It also builds off of the Aircraft Repair and Maintenance Service Implementing Arrangement (ARMS-IA) signed between both countries in 2019, which allows USAF and RAAF technicians to conduct repairs on each other’s C-17s.
According to Ferguson, the integrated training will allow Airmen from the USAF and RAAF to respond even faster to a wide range of challenges, including humanitarian crisis and disaster relief, as well as promoting security cooperation across the region, as it enhances operations by limiting doctrinal and procedural boundaries.
Together, members of the USAF and the RAAF will execute flying sorties, intelligence operations, and aircraft maintenance as a single fully integrated unit.
Exercise GD ’19 comes after a successful year of integrated USAF operations with the RAAF, to include the first joint air refueling between U.S. F-22s and RAAF KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport aircraft in July during Talisman Sabre 19.
| Date Taken: | 11.07.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 11.08.2019 01:05 |
| Story ID: | 351058 |
| Location: | AMBERLEY, QLD, AU |
| Web Views: | 211 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, USAF, RAAF C-17 squadrons break barriers to increase interoperability, by TSgt Heather Salazar, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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