RED FLAG-Alaska 26-2 began on May 28 and involved more than 70 aircraft. About 2,100 service members from the United States and partner nations took part at Eielson Air Force Base and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
International participation was the main distinction of this iteration compared with other RED FLAG-Alaska exercises held during the year. The exercise brought together U.S. and allied forces for realistic air combat training.
“This was my first time participating in RED FLAG-Alaska. It was an eye-opening experience to see everybody filling their roles to the fullest extent,” said Royal Canadian Air Force Capt. Daegan Banga, a CF-188 Hornet pilot assigned to the 409th Tactical Fighter Squadron.
“The exercise has been very busy. Long days for sure, but very exciting. We definitely got a lot of training out of it that we can take back with us,” Banga said.
The large force employment exercise focused on coalition and air-to-ground operations. It also included special operations and tactical airlift, with limited air-to-air and surface-to-air threats in realistic scenarios against aggressor units.
Participating forces included the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army and U.S. Navy. Allied participants included the British Royal Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force, Republic of Singapore Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force.
“RED FLAG 26-2 with its allies and partners did extraordinarily well,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Christopher Austin, the RF-A 26-2 deployed forces commander. “The difficulty of the scenarios we had in RED FLAG 26 were of the highest level.”
“We kept it safe. We kept it smart. We grew a whole bunch of mission commanders and pilots that have never flown at this level before,” Austin said.
A key focus of RED FLAG-Alaska is improving interoperability with allies and partners. The exercise also supports operational deployment capabilities.
“It’s important to do this type of training with our allies and partners to ensure interoperability and readiness so in the event we enter any form of conflict, we and our allies are ready for whatever happens,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Matthew Rieser, 353rd Combat Training Squadron team lead for RF-A 26-2.
“Everything they are learning here, they are taking back to their own countries and will improve their readiness, therefore increasing security around the globe,” Rieser said.
Austin said the exercise helped the United States and its allies maintain a high level of readiness. He said the training, capability and professionalism shown during the event increased his confidence in U.S. and partner forces.
“I’ve probably seen about 20 flags, and this is truly the best training that I have ever seen in all of those exercises,” said Austin. “The readiness, the capability and the professionalism was just extraordinary, and I have more confidence than ever in the United States and our allies and partners.”
