An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : Media : News : News Article View
NEWS | March 1, 2017

Exercise Beverly Herd 17-1: Mustangs Take to the Sky

By Staff Sgt. Victor J. Caputo 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs

OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Routine exercises held at Osan Air Base rarely focus on the same training goals, and the desired learning objectives shift to ensure personnel’s wartime missions are enhanced to be ready to “Fight Tonight.”

Beverly Herd 17-1 came with a heavy emphasis on the 51st Fighter Wing’s capability to project strategic air control and dominance on short notice across the ROK.

“You might say these exercises give everyone a proverbial peek behind the curtain at what combat in this AOR might look like,” said Maj. Jonathan Garner, 51st Operations Support Squadron assistant director of operations. “This is an incredibly powerful tool, enabling us to be prepared at a moment's notice to take the fight to the enemy.”

The sorties flown during this exercise cover a range of possible missions, from air-to-air combat to close air support, and aircraft from all three flying squadrons currently at Osan participate: the 36th and 25th Fighter Squadrons and the New Jersey Air National Guard’s 177th FS.

“You’ll find few, if any, places on earth with fighter sortie generation on scale with what is generated in the ROK,” Garner said. “That’s an incredible amount of dynamic firepower training to deter and neutralize those who would do us [and our allies] harm.”

Day-to-day routines take a backseat during these exercises, with an all-hands-on-deck approach taken to dedicate as close to 100 percent effort spent towards mission enablement and accomplishment.

“There’s no denying the might of the 51st FW and what we’re all capable of if we were called to action, but the complete, dominating air power that we produce during these exercises is enough to make our enemies think twice before they attempt something drastic,” said Col. Larry Card, 51st Operations Group commander. “The combination of our two in-house fighter squadrons, the support from our Air National Guard brethren deployed here, and the cohesion of all of the support units on base makes the Mustangs not just domineering but a force to be reckoned with to defend the Korean peninsula alongside our ROKAF partners.”
CONNECT WITH USINDOPACOM
Facebook

Like Us
X
363,185
Follow Us

ENGAGE & CONNECT MORE WITH PACOM

                                                 

IN THE USINDOPACOM NEWS
Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Call with Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr.
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 27, 2024 - Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout...

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia Lindsey Ford Concludes Visit to Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 27, 2024 - Department of Defense spokesperson Lt. Col. Martin Meiners provided the following readout...

DIU Partners With AUKUS Pillar II for International Prize Challenge
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 26, 2024 - The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is launching the first trilateral prize challenge through AUKUS Pillar II— a defense and security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (U.S.)— to...

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Andrew Winternitz Concludes Trip to Japan for Pacific Islands Defense Dialogue
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 26, 2024 - Department of Defense spokesperson Lt. Col. Martin Meiners provided the following readout...

Marines, Sailors Participate in Holi Festival and Community Events at Tiger TRIUMPH
U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Maxwell Gallahan, center left, a platoon commander assigned to Weapons Company, Battalion Landing Team 1/5, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, participate in musical chairs at a community relations event during Exercise Tiger TRIUMPH in Visakhapatnam, India, March 22, 2024. Tiger TRIUMPH is a U.S.-India tri-service amphibious exercise focused on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief readiness and interoperability. Tiger TRIUMPH enables U.S. and Indian Armed Forces to improve interoperability and bilateral, joint, and service readiness in the Indian Ocean region and beyond to better achieve mutual regional security objectives. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by 1st Lt. Robert Nanna)
March 26, 2024 - Marines and Sailors of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit embraced India's culture during celebrations, athletic exchanges, and community relations engagements as they participate in Exercise Tiger TRIUMPH 2024...