U.S., British, French forces partner for inaugural Trilateral Exercise at JBLE

by Staff Sgt. J.D. Strong II
633rd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

12/1/2015 - JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va.  -- U.S. Service members will partner with members of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force (RAF) and the French Air Force (FrAF) for the inaugural Trilateral anti-access/area denial exercise scheduled for Dec. 2-18, 2015, at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.

The exercise, hosted by the 1st Fighter Wing (FW), will focus on operations in a highly-contested operational environment through a variety of simulated adversary scenarios. According to U.S. Air Force Col. Pete Fesler, the commander of the 1st FW, the intent of the exercise is to gain an understanding of the logistics, support requirements, capabilities, tactics, techniques and procedures associated with the integrated operation of coalition front-line fighters.

"The RAF and FrAF are our vital strategic partners and allies in the current fight against extremism, and will be in any foreseeable future conflict," said Fesler. "The trilateral exercise gives us an opportunity to train together in realistic counter-air and strike scenarios. This training is critical to ensure that we have day-one interoperability for future contingency operations."

According to Fesler, international exercises like the Trilateral Exercise have helped the 1st FW learn to work with coalition partners in the past, such as during the Western Zephyr exercise in 2015, where the 1st FW worked with the RAF to enhance joint capabilities.

More than 500 people will be involved in the exercise, consisting of approximately 225 personnel from the U.S. Air Force, 175 from the RAF and 150 from the FrAF.

According to Fesler, partnering with coalition forces for training is critical to ensuring the 1st FW and its allies are ready to execute their mission when called upon.

The exercise will not only feature the U.S.'s Raptor, but also the RAF's Typhoon and the FrAF's Rafale as primary aircraft. The Trilateral Exercise will be the first time these coalition aircraft have flown together. Adversary aircraft will be replicated by the U.S.'s F-15E Strike Eagles and T-38 Talons. The U.S.'s Airborne Warning and Control System, as well as U.S. and FrAF tankers will also provide support during the exercise.

While there will be more aircraft flying out of Langley, the level of noise in the surrounding area should be no different than normal.