by 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
6/21/2015 - KONYA, Turkey -- Anatolian Eagle 15, a joint training exercise between the Turkish and U.S. air forces, concluded June 18, here.
The United States in Europe deployed 12 F-15 aircraft from the 48th
Fighter Wing, Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England. During the two-week
exercise, the 493rd Fighter Squadron completed 72 sorties and
approximately 122 flying hours, which resulted a stronger partnership
and improved interoperability between the two nations.
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. John Stratton, 493rd FS commander, said the
large-force training was similar to Red Flag exercises in the U.S.,
where participants execute a variety of mission sets against a robust
and aggressive adversary force.
"It increases our interoperability because it gives our pilots a chance
to come together, to mission plan, brief, execute, and debrief," he
said, "so we can see what works and what doesn't in a joint coalition
setting so we know how well we're going to be able to execute in any
future mission."
The training's strategic location also allowed the U.S. air forces to
exercise operational and logistical processes and deploy to, operate in
and around Europe, which further enhanced USAFE's role in maintaining
regional stability.
Turkish Air Force Lt. Col. Abidin Tanrisever, 123rd Weapons and Tactics
Squadron commander, said Anatolian Eagle presents realistic training
environments for allied and partner nations with similar practices and
doctrines.
"Recent operations show that close coordination and precise
communication is very important in the execution of the operational
plan," he said.
"To fly and train with the U.S. Air Force," Tanrisever said, "is a great
opportunity to practice our interoperability and also since we share
almost the same doctrine and fight."
Both pilots and ground maintenance Airmen from the U.S. displayed great
professionalism and Airmanship during the exercise, he noted.
Along with the United States, the exercise brought together air forces
from the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Pakistan, and a combined NATO
unit to further strengthen relationships and ensure combat readiness.
U.S. Air Force Capt. Jason Ford, 493rd FS pilot, said Anatolian Eagle
wasn't just a great training exercise, but an opportunity to strengthen
relationships with our allies.
"The partnerships we build here in the exercise while we're in Turkey
are very important not only today, learning from each other," he said,
"but also maybe those partnerships that we rely on tomorrow with our
allied countries."
by Airman 1st Class Kyle Johnson
JBER Public Affairs
6/20/2015 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Firefighters
from the 673d Civil Engineer Squadron departed Joint Base
Elmendorf-Richardson June 14 to assist the Division of Forestry's
efforts in containing the Sockeye wildfire near Willow.
The fire is currently estimated to cover more than 7,000 acres of land
and was considered the number-one priority for fire resources in the
nation until June 18 because of the population nearby, said David Donan,
JBER fire and Emergency Services fire chief.
JBER sent four vehicles to assist DOF efforts. Among the four vehicles
sent were a structural engine, a water tender and a brush engine.
The structural engine is an emergency vehicle designed to protect
structures from fires, much like the fire trucks often seen around base.
The brush engine is equipped for going off-road and has a large supply
of hand-held fire-fighting tools available. The water tender holds 4,000
gallons of water.
In addition to the vehicles, JBER sent rotating 24-hour shifts, each
consisting of 11 firefighters. At 4:30 a.m., fresh firefighters relieve
their soot-covered and exhausted counterparts.
"The heat is just impressive," Donan said. "All the areas out there that
have burned are holding the heat, and the sun is just beating down.
Where they're operating is almost all dirt roads, there's dust just
everywhere."
"It's kind of what you'd consider a wartime environment in the desert."
According to recent estimates, there are approximately 650 firefighters
from Alaska, Canada and the Lower 48 working together to contain the
Sockeye fire.
The agency in charge of this massive operation is the DOF, said Andrew
Lambert, assistant chief of special operations, JBER fire and emergency
services.
"Over the years, we've built up a pretty good working relationship with
some of the local response partners through training," Lambert said.
JBER firefighters need to be ready to respond to a variety of different fires and have been trained accordingly.
"We're all trained to a common standard and our firefighters are
actually trained for wildland firefighting by the Alaska Division of
Forestry," said Michael Lefebvre, assistant chief of operations, JBER
fire and emergency services. "It's a pretty hand-in-glove-relationship."
"This is just a part of our job--but the guys we are working with, this
is their whole job," Lefebvre said. "So we get to sap that experience
from them."
JBER firefighters are fighting to save the homes and livelihoods of
at-risk homes in the area. When they come back, they'll have valuable
real-world experience they can use to save lives in the future as well.
"We don't see a lot of type-1 events on a routine basis, so this is very beneficial training for us," Lambert said.
There are many ways to support the firefighters, the most basic of them is practicing good fire prevention at home.
"Due to the prolonged heat and dry weather we've had, we are in fire
weather index extreme across all of JBER," Donan said. "We're also
dealing with almost daily red flag conditions."
"That makes it even more important that people don't exacerbate the problem we already have," Donan said.
JBER is under a burn ban, no fires of any kind are currently authorized.
Remove potential fire hazards from the immediate vicinity of your house
and minimize explosive risks like propane.
By reducing the need for expending resources elsewhere, JBER families
contribute to the safety of their brothers and sisters in the wildfires.
"There is nothing these guys are doing that is glamorous," Donan said.
"I have no doubt in my mind that our guys have saved some people's homes
and properties."
"It's impressive to see our young guys go out there and be on par with some of the best in the world," Lefebvre said.
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