Hosted at Eielson Air Force Base and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, the exercise leveraged the extensive airspace and diverse terrain of the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex. Each iteration is designed as a tactical air combat employment exercise aligned with the operational capabilities of participating units.
“This exercise is a Pacific Air Forces sponsored event designed to provide realistic training in a simulated combat environment,” said Kurt Distelzweig, RF-A 26-1 deployed forces commander. “This exercise provided us with a perfect time to meet with our joint partners to practice these training scenarios.”
Approximately 1,150 service members and 55 aircraft from 14 units took part in the exercise. Officials said the combined training promotes the exchange of tactics, techniques, and procedures to directly improve interoperability among participating forces.
“This iteration is emphasizing joint integration with our Navy and Marine partners,” said Landen Hoagland, 353rd Combat Training Squadron RF-A 26-1 team chief. “We got to practice escort seeding, dynamic targeting, and tracking threats throughout the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex.”
Training in environments such as the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex is considered critical for achieving air and space superiority in the Indo-Pacific region. It enables personnel to prepare for a full spectrum of engagements, from individual tasks to large-scale joint operations.
“The JPARC provides miles of unrestricted airspace, complex terrain, along with some of the world’s most complex emitters,” Hoagland said. “This provides them with combat representative training they can’t find anywhere else.”
Officials said defending the homeland remains a core mission for U.S. military forces, relying on layered and integrated defense in coordination with combatant commands and the Joint Force. RED FLAG-Alaska directly supports this mission by preparing forces to respond to persistent, multi-domain threats.
“This exercise is important because it shows our partners that we are ready to rapidly deploy assets throughout the Pacific and assures them we are ready to fight when the time comes,” Hoagland said. “RF-A is a small piece in the grand scheme of things, but it’s an essential building block to our force, to project to the world that we are preparing for tomorrow’s fight.”
Future iterations of RED FLAG-Alaska are expected to take place throughout the year, continuing efforts to strengthen joint readiness and operational coordination.
