Reserve units provide refueling, command and control during RIMPAC 2014

by Maj. Jon Quinlan
507th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

8/11/2014 - TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- More than 60 reservists from the 507th Air Refueling Wing and 513th Air Control Group here joined more than 25,000 military personnel from 22 nations during a two-week operation supporting the 24th Rim of the Pacific 2014 exercise at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.

Over 200 military aircraft participated in this biennial multinational maritime exercise. The U.S. Pacific Command exercise is designed to enhance international cooperation for the security of the world's oceans.

The 507th ARW and Airmen from the 465th Air Refueling Squadron provided a sizable portion of the total fuel off load flying four KC-135R Stratotankers during the exercise. The 970th Airborne Air Control Squadron flew the only E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft and maintenance teams from all reserve units played a vital role making it all come together, according to unit leadership.

Military forces from Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, People's Republic of China, Japan, Tonga, Brunei, and more participated in the exercise.

"Exercise planning efforts began over a year and-a-half ago, so this TDY deployment has been a culmination of many individual efforts and months of planning for the entire staff involved," said Lt. Col. Ken Humphrey, 465th ARS director of operations. "We couldn't have made any of this possible without their help."

The 465th ARS joined forces with refueling crews from Hawaii and Kansas Air National Guard and the 909th Air Refueling Squadron from Kadena Air Base to provide robust air refueling cells during the exercise.

"As lead tanker unit for the exercise, our combined ops and maintenance team did an outstanding job - never missing a mission," Humphrey said. "Teaming together with an active duty unit from Kadena, we supported daily air refueling missions coordinating with tanker units from Hawaii, Kansas and even Canada."

The 970th AACS provided a large chunk of the airborne command and control.

"What we were able to accomplish was huge," Lt. Col Brent Vander Pol, 970th AACS commander said. "We were able to get our secure link up and running, providing all of the other allied assets with everything we could see. For us to get and stay connected to the Navy, that's a huge win for us."

Navy communications Sailors flew on the E-3's first mission and worked directly with aircrew members to set up Link 16 capability. Link 16 is a secure network that allows U.S. and allied ships and aircraft to share tactical information.

Vander Pol said that the staff members of the air operations center were surprised by the amount of data that the E-3 provides. Even though the E-3 Sentry wasn't the only AWACS to participate in RIMPAC, it provided the largest radar picture.

"We were able to work with the reservists from the 507th and had a lot of mutual support," Vander Pol said. "At the end of the day, it was just a bunch of guys from Oklahoma helping each other out."

Vander Pol added, maintenance teams from both reserve units; both KC-135 and AWACS played a critical role in getting all our sorties off the ground and making the mission come together.

For all citizen Airmen the mission at RIMPAC was much more than just a routine training opportunity.

"Everyone in the unit realized that this trip was a chance for us to shine and to tell the story of our Reservists," Vander Pol said. "We certainly got the attention of our joint and allied partners with what we were doing." (Staff Sgt. Caleb Wanzer, 513th Air Control Group contributed to this report)