BOISE, Idaho - The 124th Fighter Wing returned to Gowen Field Nov. 9 after spending more than 15 days training in the Nevada desert during the Green Flag West exercise.
The exercise prepared units to support combat operations around the world.
“Green Flag offers a joint-training environment that focuses on multi-service integration during combat operations,” said Col. Chad Kornberg, the 124th Fighter Wing commander. “A near-peer fight will necessitate proficiency and familiarity with joint operations doctrine to be combat effective and support the national defense strategy.”
The exercise also provided training opportunities, such as landing on unimproved fields, the Airmen are unable to do when training at Gowen Field.
“Training the way we plan to fight better prepares the wing for whatever the future fight asks of us,“ Kornberg said.
Realistic training is critical to combat readiness.
“The training that the 124th Maintenance Group got at Green Flag replicated real-world scenarios as closely as possible by introducing contested environments, rapid turnaround times, and interoperability with other units,” said Lt. Col. Daniel Benfield, the exercise officer in charge of the 124th Maintenance Group. “The complex training environment tested our Airmen’s ability to react quickly to changing scenarios.”
Benfield said another focus was testing the concept of mission-ready Airmen in various scenarios, including close-air support, combat search and rescue, joint-fire integration, and loading and building munitions.
Being a mission-ready Airman requires overcoming challenges and working as a team.
“Every TDY (temporary duty) brings with it unique challenges, and GFW is no exception,” said Senior Master Sgt. Taylor McBride, the exercise maintenance noncommissioned officer in charge. “These challenges breed resilience and confidence with each and every hurdle successfully overcome. Our team of maintainers came together, one team, one fight, with the same goal.”
The teambuilding developed during an exercise directly impacts deployed operations.
“I have never seen a group of people come together to form a solid team the way I do when we deploy together,” McBride said. “There’s something special that happens when we go TDY and deploy. The relationships get stronger and we unite our skill sets to accomplish the mission.”
The value of teamwork and the ability to adapt to changing scenarios was highlighted during a gunload conducted by the 124th FW’s weapons squadron.
“In weapons, you’re on a crew of three. You have your one-man, two-man and three-man positions. That’s who is working on the jet with you at the same time and making sure everyone is safe,” explained Staff Sgt. Alyssa Johnson, an aircraft armament systems technician assigned to the 124th FW. “Because of the circumstances here at Nellis, we don’t have munitions systems pulling our trailers for our 30 mm rounds, so we have to push them by hand. Other crews were coming out pushing those trailers alongside us. We were jumping in and rotating with them. Being able to work with these other groups proves that we are stronger together.”
Being stronger together means understanding each other’s job and willingly lending a helping hand during all phases of operations.
“We challenged our Airmen to stay away from the phrase ‘that’s not my job’ and instead find ways that they can be involved across different AFSC (Air Force Specialty Code) lines and help the mission move forward as one team,” said Benfield. “The bonds of trust and relationships that are formed during these exercises are pivotal for laying the foundation of how effectively the team will work together in a true combat environment.”