JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- Service members from around the world participated in a world-wide network exercise at the 5th Air Support Operation Squadron here Aug. 27.
Coalition Virtual Flag was an online large-scale exercise that allowed U.S. and coalition forces to execute an operation plan. The exercise allowed them to trade ideas to better understand and coordinate missions.
At the 5th ASOS, members from the Air Force, British Royal Air Force, and Royal Australian Air Force participated in the exercise. The group consisted of senior air directors, air tasking order managers, air space managers, interface control technicians, procedural controllers, joint air request network operator, and an intelligence analyst. Overall, 27 Air Force and coalition units took part in the exercise, which took place Monday through Thursday.
The virtual exercise simulated fighters, bombers, ground forces, and coordinators to create a simulated operation plan.
Operation plans are strategies that are set up to counter different situations.
Through Coalition Virtual Flag, forces were able to train and try different tactics without having as much risks as a live exercise. The exercise also gave U.S. forces and coalition forces more of an understanding of the problems they can expect to run into and how to work them out.
"Being able to train in Virtual Flag gives us the opportunity to see what works, what doesn't work, evolve those processes, particularly in a coalition environment," said Squadron Leader Andrew Tidmarsh, British Royal Air Force plans and training officer. "On day one of any conflict, you already have the tedious problems out of the way and can go straight into operations effectively without having to learn from scratch."
Coalition Virtual Flag also allowed coalition forces to get on the same standard. It helped forces to easily work together by having them understand the same procedures.
"I know how the others will operate, and they know how I'm going to operate, and we know we're all competent at our jobs," said Capt. Gabriel Gricol, 5th ASOS delta flight commander. "There's no second guessing what they're telling me, I'm just going to take it like I normally would as if it was a U.S. Air Force personnel and we're going to roll with it."