JTACs train at Poinsett

by Senior Airman Jensen Stidham
20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

9/8/2015 - SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- The 20th Operations Support Squadron Poinsett Electronic Combat Range hosted the U.S. Army Special Operations Command during joint terminal attack controller training in Wedgefield, South Carolina, Aug. 31 through Sept. 3.

The training was conducted by USASOC JTAC's with help from the 20th Fighter Wing to conduct close air support controls in a joint environment.

"It's very important to do training like this," said Sgt. 1st Class Peter Quarleno, 1st Special Forces Command, 3rd Special Forces Group JTAC.  "The more you get out and get on the radio and control aircraft, the more comfortable and better you get at it. When we are in a static training environment like this and not getting shot at it's a lot easier to get better at this job."

Poinsett was used as one of three strike locations for the training because of its ability to receive live munitions.

"It works here because we have an air-to-ground range just a few flying minutes from Shaw where local Air Force F-16s can drop and shoot inert ordnance, along with several observation points that the JTACs can use to conduct live type 1 and 2 controls," said Onelio Renedo, 20th OSS range operations officer. "The short distance to the range allows about 45 minutes of range time for the aircrews and controllers, making the most of the training time."

Due to the close proximity, the 55th Fighter Squadron was selected to participate in the exercise to fulfill training requirements.

"The 55th FS is being used because they are currently working on six weeks of close air support training," said Capt. Joseph Winglemire, 20th Fighter Wing ground liaison officer. "What I do for them is coordinate all of the JTACs and scenarios which I create based on real world locations, and then I brief all of the pilots participating in the exercise."

Along with training requirements, the JTACs called in both live and dry runs consisting of the GBU-12 and 20mm rounds from the F-16's M-61A1 cannon.

"Live training is when there are live aircraft flying on the range with live ordinance dropping from the aircraft," said Quarleno. "Dry runs are when live aircraft are flying over the range or military operating area but aren't dropping any live ordinances. Both live and dry procedures are pretty much the exact same for the JTACs and the pilots just without dropping anything."

Although JTACs make the decision where to drop an ordinance, nothing can be dropped without knowledge of the weather.

"Weather is involved in intelligence preparation for the battlefield," said 1st Lt. Derek Romanyk, 20th OSS wing weather officer. "I check the weather about ten minutes before the simulated attacks and let the JTACs know the surface winds and cloud decks which are the different layers of clouds in the sky. They use the weather data I give them to judge the predictions they make themselves."

Throughout the week, 151 successful close air support controls were made, providing the USASOC JTACs an opportunity to hone their skills controlling aircraft in preparation to protect our country in times of conflict.

Raising the Red Flag: Combat training at its finest

by Airman 1st Class Kelsey Tucker
20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

8/13/2015 - SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C.  -- Airmen from the 77th Fighter Squadron here are participating in Red Flag 15-4 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, Aug. 11 to 17.

Red Flag, executed through the 414th Combat Training Squadron at Nellis, is a realistic combat training exercise conducted at the Nevada Test and Training Range by the United States and its allies.

The exercise traces its roots back to the Vietnam War, when it was found that a pilot was most at risk during their first 10 missions before they had developed the skills and experience needed to become more capable. Thus Red Flag was established in 1975, as a way to get pilots through those crucial first missions without being in any significant danger.

"The Red Flag mission is to take people from all types of different assets and platforms, bring them together, learn how to execute your particular mission set, and integrate with others against a very advanced threat that is fighting back throughout the entire period," said Lt. Col. Michael Horlbeck, 55th FS commander. "It gets us ready for a much more advanced adversary, which is something that you can't try to do when it's upon you. That's something that takes an incredible amount of investment both in time and effort."

For an Airman who has never been to a Red Flag exercise, the difference in operations tempo can be astounding.

Horlbeck remembers watching a young lieutenant sitting in a mass briefing for the first time, and seeing his eyes as he realizes the magnitude of how many different assets are playing.

"You go from home station training where you may have six to eight aircraft when we do a training sortie," said Horlbeck, "to all of a sudden now you've got 70 on one side and 30 on the other - more than a tenfold increase in the number of players."

Held four times annually, the exercise consists of diverse missions ranging from close air support, dynamic targeting, and even combat search and rescue.

Working together, allied forces are able to utilize the myriad capabilities of their aircraft to execute these missions.

A benefit of this diversity is that the units that work together at Red Flag are usually the same units that will deploy together. This allows Airmen to build trust and rapport with other Airmen that they would normally never have a chance to interact with.

"Having built that relationship, we know what each other's systems and capabilities are, what kind of techniques we like to apply," said Horlbeck. "And on a personal level, we've got a relationship that allows us to work together and trust each other."

During a typical Red Flag, 20th Fighter Wing forces are in charge of the suppression of enemy air defenses such as surface-to-air missiles, however this time around they have another responsibility on their plate - for Red Flag 15-4, Shaw's Airmen have taken on the role of the "core wing."

Being the core wing means that Airmen from the 20th FW will form the "skeleton crew" that the participating units fall under, and Col. Stephen Jost, 20th FW commander, will act as the Air Expeditionary Wing commander for the entire exercise. Even though each unit may have their own mission commander for each sortie, Jost will be in charge of the mission as a whole.

For most, a Red Flag exercise is the only opportunity they will have to realistically train under these conditions - not only working with unfamiliar people and terrain, but also the movements that it takes to get to a new location - before they have to do it for real when lives are at stake, said Horlbeck.

9th AF welcomes new commander

by Capt. Tristan Hinderliter
9th Air Force Public Affairs

8/3/2015 - SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C.  -- Ninth Air Force welcomed a new commander here, as Maj. Gen. Mark Kelly assumed command from Maj. Gen. H. D. Polumbo Jr. in a ceremony officiated by Gen. Hawk Carlisle, commander of Air Combat Command, on July 31.

Ninth Air Force, headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, is a Numbered Air Force under ACC comprised of eight active duty wings and three direct reporting units primarily in the Southeastern U.S. with more than 400 aircraft and 29,000 personnel assigned. Several of the command's aircraft, which include the A-10, F-16, F-15E and F-22 fighter jets, an HH-60 helicopter and a HC-130J aircraft, were on display outside the ceremony.

Kelly, a 1986 graduate of Southwest Texas State University and a fighter pilot, comes to 9th Air Force from Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, where he commanded the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing. Earlier in his career, he commanded a fighter squadron and two fighter wings. He is accompanied by his wife, Tanya.

"It goes without saying that Tanya and I are excited to be here," Kelly told the audience at the ceremony. "Part of our Airman's Creed talks about our nation's sword and shield. Here at 9th Air Force, that's talking about you."

Kelly thanked the many civic leaders in attendance, including the mayors of Sumter, S.C. and Goldsboro, N.C., for their support for the Air Force.

"Thanks for loving our Airmen enough to hold them to a high standard," Kelly said.  "Thanks for putting a community arm around them and their families so they're ready to succeed in challenging environments.

"In the coming months I look forward to thanking each community, each wing and each Airman eye-to-eye in person, and I look forward to continuing a well-established culture of 9th Air Force excellence."

Polumbo, who is retiring after a 34-year career, said it had been an honor to serve as 9th Air Force commander, a position he held since May 2013. 

"I know 9th Air Force is ready, and will stay ready under the leadership of General Mark 'Grace' Kelly," Polumbo said. "I truly enjoyed being part of everyone's lives." 

Before he relinquished command, Polumbo was presented a Distinguished Service Medal by Carlisle for "exceptionally meritorious service in duties of great responsibility."

"Jake, you have had an incredible career in service to our nation," said Carlisle, using Polumbo's call sign. "Every American owes you a debt of gratitude. Thank you for your service, your friendship, and for being an incredible Airman - congratulations."

Carlisle also offered praise for Kelly.   

"Somehow, every time an incredible, world-class, top-of-the-heap commander steps away, we are blessed and fortunate enough to have a world-class, top-of-the-heap commander step in," Carlisle said.  "That is no different today.

"Grace, you have big shoes to fill, but I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that you will do it and continue what Jake started and make this command even better."

Face of Defense: Demo Team Pilot 'Rockets' to New Heights

By Air Force Senior Airman Diana M. Cossaboom

20th Fighter Wing

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C., July 29, 2015 – An F-16CM Fighting Falcon shoots through the air at 400 knots as Air Force Capt. Craig "Rocket" Baker, Viper Demo Team pilot, pushes the aircraft to its limits, experiencing eight to nine times the force of gravity as he demonstrates the aircraft’s capabilities.

After almost three years of inactivity, the Air Force recertified the Viper Demo Team and chose Baker to be its sole pilot.

"Craig always wanted to be a fighter pilot," said Lindsey Baker, Baker's wife of 10 years. "That, coupled with his desire to serve our country, drives what he does. He puts his all into everything that he is passionate about."

From a young age, the Air Force Academy graduate said, he had an itch for the thrill to fly.

"It's what I always wanted to do, and I've been fortunate enough along the way to have family from when I was a kid all the way through my Air Force career, support me along the way to allow what was a dream to become a reality," Baker said.

Through the years, the Gray's Creek, North Carolina, native said, he sought the best way to become an Air Force pilot.

"I started asking questions, because I really wanted to fly," he said. "Most of the pilot slots were given to the Air Force Academy, so at that point I set my sights on going there."

Patriotism, Service Enhanced Desire to Fly

Going to the academy was fueled a lot by the desire to become a pilot, Baker said, but it quickly came to be about being patriotic and serving the country.

The first in his family to join the military, he said, he went through three years of vigorous training to become an Air Force pilot, including pilot training to obtain his wings, land and combat survival training, the Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals course, and the F-16 Basic Course.

"It was cool, but nerve-wracking," he said. "Here I was, studying my whole life to be a pilot, and I've never flown before. What if I don't like it?"

During training pilots are able to list by preference which aircraft they would like to fly, Baker said. The F-16 was his top choice, he said, because it is a single-seat, single-engine, multirole aircraft that engages in air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. Flying that aircraft is highly esteemed in the Air Force, he added.

Baker is assigned to the 79th Fighter Squadron. He has been assigned to Shaw for two years, and he deployed twice before he was selected for the Viper Demo Team.

"It's not the typical flying we do day-to-day here at Shaw," he said. "The demo profile is a crusher, for sure."

Physical Rigors

Demonstration pilots’ hearts typically drop about 4 inches while flying aerobatics, Baker said, and because of how he sits in the cockpit, blood pools in his elbows. His neck will hurt, he said, because it is not made to support a head that weighs nine times more than it normally does because of G-forces.

To physically prepare for the aerobatics, Baker said, he began participating in triathlons, and he consistently works out four to five times a week.

"It's intense," he said. "[Flying aerobatics] is similar to 12 minutes of doing wind sprints with a parachute behind your back. I am pulling eight or nine G's throughout the entire show. It is physically demanding and exhausting."

Representing the Air Force

After months of intense training and a 17-ride syllabus, Baker was ready to take to the skies and represent the Air Force in various air shows around the globe.

"We are out there to motivate and inspire the future generation of the Air Force," he said. "We are also out there to tell the Air Force story -- what the Air Force is doing currently, what we've done in the past, and what we will do in the future. We provide the community with an opportunity to see what the Air Force does for them."

"Being on the team is very prestigious," said Air Force Master Sgt. Aaron Smith, the Viper Demo Team’s noncommissioned officer in charge. "You definitely have to be good at your job and know what you're doing."

Even with the long, demanding hours it takes to be the Viper Demo Team pilot, Baker always makes time for his family.

"Craig is a very supportive husband and devoted father of our 2-year-old daughter and 2-month-old son," Lindsey Baker said. "His career has literally taken our family around the world, and I am thankful that I've been by his side through it all."