Fighting in cyberspace: Ellsworth participates in Coalition Virtual Flag

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jarad A. Denton
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  In the spirit of joint military operations, aircrews from around the world gathered to train and hone their skills for upcoming deployments.

This training, called Virtual Flag, was a joint operation hosted in cyberspace, rather than actual airspace.

"The key difference between Virtual Flag and other training exercises is that Virtual Flag is conducted exclusively through simulators," said Capt. Makisi Haleck, 37th Bomb Squadron weapons and tactics shop officer. "Players fly simulators at their home base and are linked together on a network maintained and operated by Airmen and contractors at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M."

The exercise consists of close air support and air interdiction missions, coupled with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms. Aviators and joint terminal attack controllers operate within the network, alongside computer-simulated virtual players - otherwise known as "constructive players."

"'Constructive players' are programmed by the folks at Kirtland to fly the mission and utilize the required tactics," Captain Haleck said. "Often, these constructs are set in motion at the beginning of the mission and fly their programmed profile throughout the exercise."

In addition to constructs, Virtual Flag expanded its play area to include coalition players from Australia, Canada and Great Britain - who all participated in the exercise for the first time. The virtual platform enables aircrews to train in an environment similar to the one they are currently fighting in.

"The benefit of Virtual Flag is that it provides the squadron with much needed large-force exercise experience, without having to spend money deploying a squadron, physically," he said. "You can also fly younger crewmembers together in the simulator, which gives future mission leads vital experience."

While Virtual Flag provided many Airmen with the opportunity for realistic and affordable training, it wasn't without its share of problems, said Captain Haleck. Many of the missions had to be planned separately, which hindered the training and gave parts of the exercise an artificial feel.

"Constructs were difficult to incorporate into the scenarios when the initial plan broke down and contingencies became a reality, due to the fact they were programmed to fly a specific route."

As in past VF exercises, problems were identified and addressed for future exercises. Captain Haleck said Ellsworth performed well during Virtual Flag, with only a few minor issues, and gained much-needed experience.

"Virtual Flag has proven to give Ellsworth Airmen a unique opportunity to communicate with coalition forces and experience a variety of scenarios that mirror the actual combat environment," said Col. Jeffrey Taliaferro, 28th Bomb Wing commander. "The innovative training opportunities presented by this exercise allow us to grow our combat capability, while not putting a strain on our actual flying resources."