Photo By Senior Airman Mario Calabro | U.S. Air Force Col. Kirsten Aguilar, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and 673d Air Base...... read more read more
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Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson’s 3rd Wing expanded their Agile Combat Employment (ACE) capabilities as part of Polar Force 21-5 from April 2 to 9 at King Salmon Air Force Station, Alaska.
Polar Force 21-5 is a simulated deployment to hone ACE skills. King Salmon Air Force Station was used to practice the ACE concept and expand the use of 3rd Wing’s resources.
U.S. Air Force Col. Travolis Simmons, the 3rd Wing commander, said the exercise at King Salmon was very successful.
“We made tremendous strides maturing ACE during our spring readiness exercise,” said Simmons. “PACAF leadership asked the Wings to expand the envelope of what we can do every time we practice ACE, and we absolutely achieved that this week. Our Airmen performed brilliantly and the leadership team learned a great deal about the command and control in the ACE environment. This exercise represented another significant step in our quest to accelerate change.”
The use of King Salmon Air Force Station creates a larger span of air dominance and flexibility during crisis scenarios.
Regarding the importance of maturing forward operating locations, Simmons said, “In addition to enhancing our ACE capability, conducting operations at King Salmon enhances our ability to maintain continuity of operations in the event of a natural disaster or similar scenario. Sites like King Salmon extend our readiness to support the no-fail support homeland defense mission as well respond to US INDOPACOM taskings.”
Alaska provides the perfect strategic location for the U.S. Air Force to quickly respond to foreign threats or emergencies.
“King Salmon provided an excellent training area for Agile Combat Employment fundamentals,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Matthew Tromans, director of the 3rd Wing ACE Cell. “Its remote location and inherent communication difficulties forced us to work through a myriad of primary and backup plans. The joint effort realized by the combined 3rd Wing and 673d Air Base Wing ACE detachment made tremendous strides in proving the PACAF agile combat employment concept.”
ACE’s mission can’t be completed without Air Force personnel, but mission partners also play a key role in supporting our day-to-day work and training efforts.
“This event would not have been possible without the support of the King Salmon airport authorities and Air Force Station partners," Tromans said. “Those partnerships help the 3rd Wing normalize King Salmon operations, building confidence in its use as an F-22 Raptor weather alternate, and increases the opportunity for training sorties during the winter months which often have high rates of weather attrition.”
Polar Force and other ACE exercises ensure JBER units’ ability to fly, fight and win in the increasingly important Pacific and Arctic regions, providing top cover for the Lower 48 and maintaining strategic capabilities around the world.
| Date Taken: | 04.26.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 05.07.2021 15:17 |
| Story ID: | 394777 |
| Location: | KING SALMON, ALASKA, US |
| Web Views: | 201 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, JBER executes ACE at King Salmon, by SrA Mario Calabro, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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