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 | Dec. 21, 2015

ROK, U.S. Air Forces Train to Fight at Buddy Wing 15-8

By Airman 1st Class Dillian Bamman 51st Fighter Wing, U.S. Air Force

OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Pilots from the 25th Fighter Squadron and Republic of Korea Air Force's 237th Fighter Squadron performed combat operations during Buddy Wing 15-8, Dec. 15-18 here.

Buddy Wing is an exercise that provides a forum for pilots, maintainers and support personnel of both nations to improve their interoperability in the event of conflict or other contingencies.

"It's an opportunity for the ROKAF and U.S. [Air Force] to get together, fly together for a couple days and share some tactics and lessons learned," said 1st Lt. Maurice Grosso, 25th FS pilot. "Should any conflicts kickoff here, we're going to be a be flying and fighting alongside our ROKAF counterparts. We need that interoperability to allow us to execute our mission and then to execute their mission without any hindrances."

The 237th FS pilots, based at Wonju Air Base, ROK, fly in the KA-1 Woongbi. Like the U.S. Air Force's A-10 Thunderbolt II, the KA-1's mission is forward air control. 

"I went out with the KA-1 pilots and executed two missions as a forward air controller for two KA-1s and two A-10s," said Grosso. "It was a good opportunity to see how we execute FAC tactics and how well we communicate."

More often than not, the only communication between the pilots is through telecommunications in-flight, which could be a disadvantage said Grosso.

"[Buddy Wing] is an opportunity to get some face time with the ROKAF," said Grosso. "When we fly around the same airspace, we typically aren't able to integrate on the ground. It's definitely unique to have conversations [face-to-face]."

In addition to building camaraderie during the exercise, the pilots also left Osan to enjoy local restaurants.

"They've been very nice and helpful to us, making us feel at home," said Capt. Choi Jang Geun, 237th FS pilot. "There's a lot of nice restaurants and villages outside of Osan.'

Not only did Buddy Wing help build relationships, it also aided the ROKAF pilots in broadening their knowledge of working in a joint environment.

"The biggest takeaway [for me] has been the techniques and tactics due to [our similar mission]," said Choi.

"This was my first time with Buddy Wing," he added. "It's been nice to train with the [25th FS], because the joint exercise gave us good experience by learning from each other."

The 25th FS hosts a Buddy Wing every year, and Choi, along with his colleagues, said they look forward to hosting their next event at Wonju in 2016.

CONNECT WITH USINDOPACOM

ENGAGE & CONNECT MORE WITH PACOM

                                      

IN THE USINDOPACOM NEWS
Running festival in Yokohama fosters camaraderie among US, Japanese competitors
Runners take off at the start of the Yokohama North Dock Running Festival, held Nov. 3 on the installation. The event drew nearly 3,000 competitors for its 5K, 10K and half-marathon races.
Nov. 9, 2024 - The Yokohama North Dock Running Festival, a showcase of athleticism and camaraderie, brought together nearly 3,000 Japanese and American runners Nov. 3 to compete in the event...

U.S. Coast Guard wraps up support for Operation Kurukuru 2024, joins Niue in celebrating 50th Constitution Day
Members of an HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point and Coast Guard Fourteenth District staff pose for a photo with members of the Royal New Zealand Navy at Hanan Niue International Airport in Alofi, Niue, Oct. 19, 2024. The U.S., New Zealand, Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, France and Japan were among the countries represented at Niue’s 50th Constitution Day celebration. (U.S. Coast Guard photo, courtesy U.S. Embassy New Zealand)
Nov. 9, 2024 - The U.S. Coast Guard recently concluded its support for the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Forum Fisheries Agency's (FFA) Operation Kurukuru, a vital annual operation led by Pacific Island countries across the region's vast...

Command Collaboration: USFK and CFC Put Electromagnetic Capabilities on Display
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Elliot Rappoport, 2nd Infantry Division, G-6, Eighth Army, presented capabilities and best practices of a PR-200 spectrum analyzer, during a Combined Republic of Korea – United States Information Operations teambuilding event, held on Oct. 10, 2024. (courtesy photo)
Nov. 8, 2024 - U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Elliot Rappoport, 2nd Infantry Division, G-6, Eighth Army, presented capabilities and best practices of a PR-200 spectrum analyzer, during a Combined Republic of Korea – United States Information...

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command representatives meet with the People's Liberation Army counterparts for the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement working group and plenary session
Representatives from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. Pacific Air Forces, and U.S. Coast Guard traveled to Qingdao, China to meet with the People's Republic of China (PRC) People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy and Air Force for the semi-annual working group and annual plenary session of the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement (MMCA), Nov. 6-8, 2024. (Courtesy Photo)
Nov. 8, 2024 - Representatives from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. Pacific Air Forces, and U.S. Coast Guard traveled to Qingdao, China to meet with the People's Republic of China (PRC) People's Liberation Army (PLA)...

U.S. Navy Reserve 3rd Fleet Leads NALE at POLAR VORTEX
From left, U.S. Navy Cmdr. Justin Hane, Chief Intelligence Specialist Troy Bedard, Lt. Cmdr. Laura Gleis, Cmdr. Victor Cotto and Capt. Chris Turl, assigned to the U.S. 3rd Fleet Naval and Amphibious Liaison Element (NALE), pose for a photo at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Sept. 15, 2024. The U.S. 3rd Fleet NALE and a P-8 Poseidon aircrew assigned to Patrol Squadron (VP) 9 supported joint and bi-national forces from Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region and Alaskan Command during Operation POLAR VORTEX by providing maritime domain awareness in conjunction with the 611th Air Operations Center air component to provide domain awareness during operations and exercises in remote regions of Alaska and the Arctic. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Hunter Cline)
Nov. 7, 2024 - During Operation POLAR VORTEX, a Naval and Amphibious Liaison Element (NALE) led by U.S. 3rd Fleet and supported by U.S. Fleet Forces was embedded into the bi-national Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)...