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USAF, coaliton AWACS redefine combined ops

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Denise Johnson
  • 380th AEW Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Americans, Australians, British and Canadians are flying operational sorties on the same crew for what is likely to be the first time in history.

The 965th Expeditionary Airborne Air Control Squadron is the first unit of its kind to deploy to this location with three different coalition partners as squadron members. To take it a step further, all four coalition members can be found on the same aircraft flying operational sorties.

"To the best of my knowledge, this is a first," said Gary Boyd, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing historian. "I don't know of any other time when four coalition members have flown operational sorties on the same aircraft in history."

The unit, from Tinker Air Force Base's 552nd Air Control Wing, brought Australian, British and Canadian members who are assigned to the 965th EAACS at home station into the Area of Responsibility with them.

"The coalition forces we have assigned to us at Tinker are very much an integral part of our units," said Lt. Col. Andreas Forstner, 965th EAACS commander. "The experience they bring is balanced by the experience they gain from our operations and Airmen; it's a mutually-beneficial system."

The foreign nationals are each at Tinker on a different program to include a loan program for the Australians; a one-to-one U.S./British officer-exchange program; and the North American Aerospace Defense Command co-manning program which brings more than 40 Canadians to the wing.

Flight Lieutenants Nathan Yabsley, senior director, and Troy Roempke, a mission crew commander, are the first and last Australians to deploy with the 552nd ACW on the loan program.

"We're wrapping up on a good note by getting an operational deployment; we're probably going to learn more in four months here than we could under any other conditions," the senior director explained.

Flt. Lt. Matt Brunton, on the other hand, is the only British officer in the 965th. He came to the squadron from a British AWACS unit availing both the U.S. and British an opportunity for an exchange of information.

"The exchange program is a great opportunity to work within the U.S. AWACS community," Flt. Lt. Brunton said. "This operational deployment will be the highlight of my time with the U.S. Air Force."

His position here will focus more on operational experience than technical, learning how U.S. Airmen operate and implement AWACS capabilities. In turn, he will share his breadth of knowledge from the British AWACS world in hopes of enhancing and expediting interaction in the joint operational world.

Canadian Sgt. Danny Reid, a computer display maintenance technician, has also enhanced his nearly three decades of experience.

"I'm the odd one here because prior to this assignment I never flew - I've always worked electronics on the ground," explained Sergeant Reid, the only enlisted foreigner with the 965th. "I've worked on airfields but it's always been radios talking to the aircraft, or with radar, or with tracking - but as far as being airborne, this is the first time."

The Canadian, after 27 years of service on the ground, is now flying above the AOR on a U.S. E-3 Sentry, the platform for the AWACS mission. His fellow countryman could however, have been on the other end of communications just as easily ...

"Before I went to Tinker last summer I was supposed to get sent to Afghanistan to do my old job as a ground communications engineer - but this job took priority." Maj. Scott Hoffman, Canadian mission crew commander, explained. "If I wasn't here now, I'd probably be talking to these guys from the ground. In fact, the guy I trained who took my place in Canada is one of the guys on the ground who talks to us on the E-3."

The programs are each built to prepare the USAF and other coalition partners for interoperability. Joint exercises in areas such as Alaska and Canada also provide practice for combined efforts in real-world scenarios. But nothing seems to beat the operational experience gained in-theater.

"The operational tempo I've seen and the air battle management done for real ... it's an experience you dream about," said Flt. Lt. Yabsley.

Experience is the name of the game in this coalition squadron. A variety of past experience lays a foundation for new opportunities the Airmen and the foreign nationals are quick to capitalize on.

"(The foreign) backgrounds bring a little bit different experience to the jet and hopefully help out a little bit more," Flt. Lt. Brunton said. "Not that we do things better, we just sometimes do things different - and I think both us and our U.S. counterparts gain a lot of advantage from the different approaches."

Most of the coalition members have served as war fighters on the ground in various positions to include forward ground air controllers. Those controllers use the AWACS to direct the air support.

"As a ground forward air controller it's AWACS who we talk to, to get the aircraft to provide either the bombs or photographs or whatever we require," said Major Hoffman.
His Canadian counterpart, Sergeant Reid, also brings a host of ground experience to the aerial mission. "I've served in an artillery regiment and I've been in five different commands. (Canadian electricians) are basically a purple trade, not a 'hard' Air Force trade," he said.

The variety of ground, electrical and operational backgrounds adds to the experience the U.S. Airmen are gaining via the coalition squadron members.

"I think it helps a bit because I've seen things they're not going to see; on the other hand, these Airmen are really knowledgeable - they know a lot and I'm actually learning a lot from them," Sergeant Reid added. "Their experience is more focused; they've put a lot of effort into making sure they know all they can about this aircraft."

The 965th EAACS, while fulfilling the air tasking order, has flown missions close to the heart of their coalition crews.

"Of the two ground control units in Afghanistan right now, one's Australian which is my old squadron and one's British which is (Flt. Lt. Brunton's) old squadron," Flt. Lt. Yabsley said. "So it's good to help out our American brothers with the few quirks in the language and the accents. We're also such a small career field, we usually know the folks on the other end of the radio by name."

Meeting up with old friends in theater and saying farewell to new ones in Oklahoma have brought some perspectives to the forefront for some.

"Some friends of mine gave me a send-off before I left Oklahoma for this deployment. They thanked me for fighting for a country I'm not even from," Flt. Lt. Brunton said. "But I'm not just serving for America - which I'm happy to do as one of our greatest allies - I'm also fighting for my countrymen who're down there and for the Australians and the Canadians and all the coalition forces who've come together to support the effort."

The win-win situation enables a coalition effort in the truest sense of the concept. Americans, Australians, British and Canadians are combining a war-fighting mission with learning and sharing, furthering endeavors both joint and nation-specific.

This select group of individuals is making history from the heart of the 965th EAACS: the mission control center of the E-3 Sentry.