HULMAN FIELD AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ind. – Airmen assigned to the 181st Intelligence Wing went into overtime to host the Jaded Thunder joint exercise at Hulman Field Air National Guard Base Aug. 16-26.
The 181st Intelligence Wing, in partnership with the Terre Haute Regional Airport (THRA), hosted the live-fire exercise. Jaded Thunder is a joint Department of Defense military exercise involving conventional and special operations forces.
"It was a great opportunity," said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Craig Maschino, chief of wing plans integration and execution at the 181st IW. "They [members assigned to the wing] were able to brush up on some of those skills that they don't always get to use. Having active duty here partnering with the Air National Guard to provide a premier exercise like Jaded Thunder — it's definitely showing total force integration, and that's what we saw."
The 181st IW and THRA combined have a 9,020-foot primary runway, a 7,200-foot alternate, crosswind runway, over 1 million square feet of ramp space, 1,465 acres of land and hundreds of thousands of square feet of building space available for exercises and operations. The THRA also maintains its standing noise abatement, and the surrounding 8,000 acres of undeveloped land fall within federally designated Opportunity Zone 18167010600/EO 13946.
"We have the facilities for aircraft to launch and recover from [and] facilities to do the maintenance," said Maschino. "We have the impact range at Atterbury, the whole regional support group; we have Muscatatuck for them to operate on the ground, as well as some other places."
The increased activity and movement drew immediate attention in the community, rekindling memories of a once active fighter wing. Public-facing F-15E Strike Eagle and MV-22 Osprey aircraft operating from THRA drew enthusiastic spectators daily. In the background, F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft once again taxied nostalgically down the 181st IW's own flightline for launch.
181st IW Airmen joined members from active components, putting in long hours, nights and weekends to support over 1,200 personnel throughout the exercise.
"This was sort of a microcosm of what happens when you deploy," said Air Force Col. Lance Hopper, group commander of the 181st Mission Support Group. "You go to a larger installation, it has a myriad of aircraft, a myriad of services, major commands, [and] people from all over the country coming together to execute a mission."
The timely movement of personnel and equipment is a key factor in any operation. The extensive requirements of Jaded Thunder and supporting assets flexed the muscle of the 181st Logistics Readiness Flight.
"Security forces and logistics had a great system going to get that mass amount of trucks onto the base before the exercise, so they were ready to execute the exercise," said Air Force Lt. Col. Rick Wood, the deputy group commander of the 181st MSG. "Then we had to reverse and get 150 trucks on and off base to get the equipment off. It was planned to be done in three to four days, and we got it done in two and a half days."
181st IW members were able to carry out the logistics of over 150 inbound and outbound shipments, ensure the secure control and storage of munitions and weapons from various platforms, secure restricted and operations areas, and safely escort personnel throughout the exercise.
"The 181st is constantly looking for how we can contribute to the fight, what can we do better, how can we expand our role [and] our training opportunities for our folks, [and] how we can utilize some of the facilities we have leftover from the aircraft days," said Hopper. "To do it at this magnitude just proves that we can do it at almost any scale."
Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Robert Hackett, 181st IW command chief, said the community and partnerships were key to the success of the exercise.
"Bring the noise back was the theme," said Hackett. "They wanted to hear the noise. We had the great support of the community coming out here [and] to the airport. There was one couple that came out every day from noon to six each day to watch the aircraft for almost the whole two weeks."
The Indiana Air National Guard maintains three ranges that allow for unique operations training situations that appeal to a multitude of military units' training requirements.
"We don't fight in one domain anymore," said Maschino. "We don't fight wars just on sea, or just in the air, or [just] on the land. [The 181st IW and the Indiana National Guard's training facilities] allow for that multi-domain operational training that we need to have."
Indeed, the 181st IW has a variety of air ranges to facilitate training.
Jefferson Range is on 1,033 acres in the northern third of Jefferson Proving Grounds in Ripley County. The range features 14 Weapons Impact Scoring System-Mission scored targets, three air-scored targets, three strafe targets (DH-3 scored), two 20 mm targets, one 30 mm target and one 2.75-inch rocket target.
The 181st IW also has a smaller air range providing additional training space.
Range 36 Air-to-Ground Gunnery is about 20 nautical miles south-southeast of Indianapolis at Camp Atterbury. Associated special use airspace is R-3401, covering 103 square miles. The terrain is hilly and wooded, permitting a good mix of highly visible and terrain-integrated targets. In addition, several low-altitude routes are available.
The Indiana National Guard also provides unique training at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center. Muscatatuck, recognized as the Department of Defense's largest urban training facility, touches all five domains – land, airspace, cyberspace, maritime and space – plus the electromagnetic spectrum and the information environment.
"Muscatatuck Urban Training Center is basically a city in itself," said Maschino. "[It has] all of the facilities on hundreds of acres that operators can go in and train different tactics and techniques in. It has its own power plant, cyber range [and] subway system. All those things make it unique."
Hulman Field Air National Guard Base supports flying activities with two hangars, two runways, and various air support facilities.