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More than 150 personnel from Eielson Air Force Base and the 356th Fighter Squadron and 18th Aggressor Squadron headed south to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) to conduct interoperability training for fourth and fifth-generation fighter aircraft.
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The Wing closed the runway and flight line for routine maintenance 8-16 July sending the 356th Fighter Squadron and 18th Aggressor Squadron south to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) in Anchorage to continue their flying mission.
More than 150 personnel uprooted operations from home station to support numerous F-35A Lightning IIs and F-16 Fighting Falcons.
Although just for a short time, the TDY to JBER was the first major movement for Eielson’s F-35As since arriving to interior Alaska in April. The Aggressors on the other hand have had a lot of practice taking their flying operations away from home with three to four mobile training team TDYs in a typical year.
Major David Hickle, the 356th FS assistant deputy of operations, said, “The biggest goal for us was to execute this initial movement and take [Pacific Air Force’s] F-35s off station, forward deploy to another station and operate from there.”
MAJ Hickle currently flies the F-35A but is no stranger to the 354th Fighter Wing having spent three years flying as an Aggressor prior to switching airframes.
Exercising the big muscle movements involving aircraft, aircrew, maintainers and support personnel is an essential part of maintaining flexibility and strengthening unit cohesion; and the benefits ripple across the board, up and down the ranks.
An essential part of the expanding airpower presence in Alaska is in the partnership between Eielson and JBER. Together, the two bases will be home to the highest concentration of fifth-generation aircraft in the world. The only thing more impressive and integral to mission success is perhaps the enduring relationship among the Airmen.
MAJ Hickle added, “We know a lot of [the JBER personnel] just from phone calls and working closely over the years but we get a lot better interaction with folks just being face-to-face. It becomes a much more personal interaction and you get to really know the people that you’re going to be working with, training with and going to war with at some point.”
As Eielson’s mission expands, the demands will increase. The arrival of the first F-35As marked the beginning of a renewed combat-focused mindset for the wing. Every milestone since then, including training opportunities like the one at JBER, moves the wing forward along the path to building a more lethal force in the far north.
“That camaraderie and that tight-knit community is what you need in order to have effective, lethal fighting force,” MAJ Hickle added.
Stephen Kuper
Steve has an extensive career across government, defence industry and advocacy, having previously worked for cabinet ministers at both Federal and State levels.
