OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Osan Air Base’s A-10C Thunderbolt IIs took to the skies this week joined by Republic of Korea F-15K Slam Eagles continuing the more than 20-year tradition of training together in the Buddy Squadron Program.
Formerly known as Buddy Wing, the Buddy Squadron is used as an opportunity to build trust, introduce new tactics and exchange ideas for pilots, maintenance technicians and support personnel from both bilateral partners.
“When it comes to training, nothing compares to flying together and working face-to-face, said Capt. Joshua Graham, 25th Fighter Squadron, pilot. “During Buddy Squadron, we have the ability to fly missions in the morning, debrief, pass on lessons learned to the next aircrews and then watch them execute that afternoon.”
The most recent iteration, BS 23-2, brought together the 102nd Fighter Squadron from Daegu Air Base who trained alongside the 25th Fighter Squadron to sharpen their combat skills.
During the week-long exercise the units integrated in mission planning, briefing, flying operations and debriefing together to strengthen their ability to operate as one fighting force.
“Buddy Squadron allows our units to share our best practices while demonstrating what we bring to the fight,” said Graham. “Flying training missions together throughout the peninsula and then having the opportunity to talk afterwards is critical to improving our interoperability and effectiveness.”