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The latest iteration of Pacific Air Forces’ premier air combat training exercise, RED FLAG-Alaska 26-2, concluded June 12, closing out two weeks of daily training sorties for the U.S. and its allies in the skies above Alaska. RF-A 26-2 began May 28, and brought in over 70 aircraft and approximately 2,100 service members from the U.S. and partner nations for realistic air combat training at Eielson AFB and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. International participation was the primary distinction in this RF-A iteration versus others held throughout the year. “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.” The large force employment exercise focused on coalition and air-to-ground, special operations, and tactical airlift with limited air-to-air and surface-to-air threats in realistic scenarios against aggressor units. It includes a combined, joint force of the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, the British Royal Air Force, Royal New Zealand 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.”
A key focus of RF-A is enhancing interoperability with allies and partners while sustaining 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.” Austin noted the exercise helped the U.S. and its allies maintain the highest form of readiness. “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.”