An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Feb. 19, 2010

Air Guard assesses its domestic aviation support

By Air Force Master Sgt. Mike R. Smith National Guard Bureau

ARLINGTON, Va., - Having the right equipment and the right capabilities can save lives in a domestic emergency, and that's why nearly 100 Air National Guard domestic operations experts from across the nation are gathering here Feb. 23-24 in the first ever Aviation Support for Domestic Operations war game.

The two-day, capabilities-based assessment will draw subject matter and planning experts into two, regional-based scenarios to investigate the value of National Guard-operated light, manned, fixed-wing aviation platforms into the Air Guard's domestic operations capabilities.

"If we can capture this data, we can show their dual use domestically and overseas," said Air Force Maj. Andrew Platt of the Air Guard's Requirements Integration Office.

Air Guard officials said these aviation support platforms can make all the difference to emergency responders. Some platforms provide intelligence awareness and assessment, ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance), command and control, communications and light airlift, but officials here want to measure and analyze the performance of light, manned, fixed-wing aviation platforms to determine their potential to the states and territories.

In the past, successful missions were flown after Hurricane Katrina with the Guard's RC-26 ISR aircraft. In 2008, those same light, manned, fixed-wing aviation platforms were used with success in firefighting operations and most notably during the Midwest floods that involved six states.

There, aircraft from West Virginia and Mississippi were dispatched to help in a multi-agency response. They flew valuable ISR missions over the flooded areas and relayed information to help repair critical infrastructure.

The war game here, said Platt, is designed to characterize and quantify the demand for those types of missions as well other manmade disasters. It will also establish domestic aviation requirements for the Air Guard.

"We will break those 100 folks into teams based on FEMA region, and present them with scenarios that increase in complexity as the war game goes on," said Platt.

Post-war game analysts here will then look at each platform's use and compare it to the Air Guard's capabilities. This process will help Air Guard officials find gaps and seams in their current force structure.

Another mission, officials said, is to examine a "global military operations environment to find synergies between those domestic capabilities."

The RC-26 platform is another good example, because it provides tactical intelligence and manned tactical ISR to warfighters overseas, but is also used by the Guard in domestic counterdrug missions and other support to the governors.

Such capabilities must be examined by the field, officials said, and the war game provides the platform to do that.

For more information about the war game, contact Air Force Maj. Drew Platt at (703) 607-3481.

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Air Force dental technician completes a dental X-ray for a local resident during Operation Healthy Tennessee, Rhea County Middle School, Evensville, Tenn., July 10, 2025. Operation Healthy Tennessee provides no-cost medical, dental, vision and veterinary services to the residents of Bledsoe and Rhea County, as well as the surrounding areas while satisfying training requirements for active-duty, reserve and Air National Guard service members and units.
Operation Healthy Tennessee: Where Readiness Meets Relief
By Staff Sgt. Sarah Stalder Lundgren, | July 22, 2025
EVENSVILLE, Tenn. - More than 200 service members from the U.S. Air Force, Air National Guard, U.S. Army Reserve, U.S. Navy Reserve and U.S. Air Force Reserve participated in Operation Healthy Tennessee, part of the...

Soldiers from the Oregon Army National Guard's 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) returned home July 19, 2025, following a successful year-long deployment to Kosovo as part of the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) mission. The members were enthusiastically greeted by friends and family as they made their way into the Camp Withycombe gymnasium in Happy Valley, Oregon.
Oregon Guard Brigade Returns After Kosovo Deployment
By Maj. Wayne Clyne, | July 22, 2025
CLACKAMAS, Ore. - Soldiers from the Oregon Army National Guard's 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, or IBCT, returned home July 19 after a successful year-long deployment to Kosovo as part of the NATO-led Kosovo Force...

U.S. Army Maj. Troy Dandrea, brigade chaplain, 17th Sustainment Brigade, prays over Soldiers in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Dec. 14, 2024.
Nevada Guard Brigade Returning From Middle East Deployment
By Sgt. Adrianne Lopez, | July 22, 2025
LAS VEGAS - After 10 months of conducting logistical operations across the Middle East, the Nevada Army National Guard’s 17th Sustainment Brigade is coming back home to the Silver State with its Task Force Warrior mission...