VOLK FIELD, Wis. - More than 1,000 service members from nearly 25 units nationwide conducted Northern Lightning, a two-week joint-training exercise held annually at the Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center.
This year’s August iteration included the U.S. Air Force, Army, and Marines and their respective Reserve and National Guard components. It prepared participants for near-peer threats and integrated fourth- and fifth-generation fighter aircraft.
Aircraft hosted this year were the Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 180th Fighter Wing in Toledo, Ohio; Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft from the 115th Fighter Wing in Madison, Wisconsin; and Marine Corps F-35C Lightning II aircraft assigned to the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 311, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California.
The 187th Fighter Wing operated from its home station in Dannelly Field, Alabama, more than 900 miles away, during the exercise, which concluded Aug. 18.
“Operating from home station and flying long sorties to the fight replicates the advanced logistical challenges that we need to prepare for,” said Lt. Col. Derek Pegg, 187th Fighter Wing, director of plans and programs. “Island Hopping was a military strategy used in World War II in the Pacific. This scheme of maneuver makes moves difficult for enemies to predict and complicates the targeting cycle. Being able to scatter, regroup, update and keep executing the commander’s intent is a critical skill.”
The exercise also hosted units from all over the country that supported the aircraft.
“Northern Lightning is a great training environment, especially for our younger pilots to experience a joint environment,” said Lt. Col. Randy Kreps, 112th Fighter Squadron commander. “There are multiple airframes flying with us, like the F-35s. There are Marines, the Guard, the Reserve, and it is a great training opportunity for us.”
Kreps said training for fourth- and fifth-generation fighter integration is critical to ensuring the Air Force can meet near-peer warfighting needs.
“As a pilot it is always good to challenge yourself, so an environment like this has more aircraft than we would normally see,” Kreps said. “There are a lot of opportunities to get better and learn from other units here as well.”
Northern Lightning offered joint training with multiple branches and components.
“The challenges that Northern Lightning brought are amazing,” said Lt. Col. Michael P. Fisher, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 311 commanding officer. “There was surface-to-air, air-to-air, and other adversarial assets that create that challenging environment that we may face one day.”
Volk Field offers 40,000 cubic miles of airspace, allowing for other components, such as joint aerial refueling, as part of the exercise.
Air Force KC-135 Stratotankers from the 128th Air Refueling Wing based in Milwaukee participated.
“It is as close as we can get to combat with an advancing or pacing threat,” Fisher said. “Everyone brings something specific and unique to the fight. Now we are here collaborating and creating the best, most advanced package that we can.”
Master Sgt. Jarno Maasing, commander of the Network Monitoring and Helpdesk Group at the Estonian Defence Forces Information and Communication Technology Centre, joined the Ohio Air National Guard’s 123rd Air Control Squadron at Northern Lightning to enhance interoperability and foster valuable relationships between the United States and Estonia.
“To share experience and knowledge is the most important thing — it doesn’t matter if you’re 3,000 kilometers away or in another country,” Maasing said. “[Information technology] is the same.”
“It’s a fantastic opportunity for us to experience this with him — it shows the integration we have with our NATO partners,” said Maj. Joseph Young, 123rd ACS director of cyber operations. “Knowing the importance of working with our foreign partners and seeing it firsthand is really good for our Airmen.”
Northern Lightning began in the early 2000s before expanding into a large-scale exercise in 2015. It became a biannual exercise in 2018 and 2019 and returned to an annual exercise in 2020. Northern Lightning is one of seven Air National Guard joint accredited exercises held at a Combat Readiness Training Center.
The exercise also provided training for military firefighters and engineers.
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Capt. Michael Luangkhot and Staf Sgt. Constantine Bambakidis contributed to this report.