34th BS returns from Red Flag

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jarad A. Denton
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  More than 136 Airmen from the 34th Bomb Squadron recently returned from an exercise designed to test their ability to operate and survive in a wartime environment, Feb. 6.

The exercise, designated Red Flag 11-2, was a live combat simulation that took place at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.

"The exercise is designed to expose aircrews to an intense level of combat that they wouldn't normally face during normal training sorties," said Lt. Col. Steven Beasley, 34th BS commander. "In effect, it prepares them for war, by exposing them to combat simulations both in the air and on the ground."

Airmen not only flew combat training missions against a professional aggressor force comprised of assets and aircrews of the 57th Adversary Tactics Group at Nellis, but also forged partnerships and gained valuable experience conducting missions with participating coalition forces.

"It was a phenomenal experience working with other combat aircraft platforms and coalition forces," said Colonel Beasley. "Their contributions raised the level of play, of both tactics and realism."

In order to facilitate a more realistic experience, Red Flag 11-2 became an exercise of many "firsts." It was the first time Global Strike Command participated in a Red Flag, and it was the first time information aggressors were used.

According to Colonel Beasley, the information aggressors joined with the other combat aggressors of Red Team to improve the overall quality of the simulation.

"The threat replication simulators at Nellis are world class," he said. "The mission of the information aggressors was to subvert our intelligence operations. Everything we wrote, said or did was monitored by the Red Team. If we let something slip, it was automatically used against us. We had to be on our guard at all times."

Colonel Beasley said the Red Team went so far as to intercept chatter from his Airmen who were on the Blue Team while they were at the dining facility.

"It was very intense," he said. "They would literally eavesdrop on our conversations at the chow hall to see if we let any classified information slip. We also caught them dumpster diving a few times."

Despite the challenges presented during Red Flag, the 34th BS was the only unit to fly all 38 of their assigned training missions. They also returned to Ellsworth Air Force Base with a perfect record of adherence to all training rules and garnered 20 superior performer honors. Airman 1st Class Corey Shenefield, 34th BS intelligence technician, was one of the Airmen who was honored as a superior performer.

"It was my job to give a mass brief to the players in the exercise," said Airman Shenefield. "I provided details of the mission, threats in the area and enemy tactics."

It was Airman Shenefield's attention to detail and professionalism that earned him recognition as the best briefer in the exercise. His superior performer award only added to the recognition the 34th BS received for having the best intelligence unit throughout the exercise. Colonel Beasley said every Airman from the 34th BS performed exceptionally during the exercise.

"We were able to finish the most complex of training scenarios without any aircraft or safety incidents," he said. "The level of learning and coordination with other units was absolutely amazing. We really pulled together to make the sum total of the exercise greater than its individual parts."