Photo By Sgt. Calah Thompson | A U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18C Hornet aircraft with Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack...... read more read more
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Suwon Air Base, South Korea – On Friday, July 12, as the sun slowly began to set and cast the sky in a hazy orange hue, four F/A-18 Hornet aircraft with Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA(AW)) 224, Marine Aircraft Group 31 (MAG), 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) touched down at Suwon Air Base, South Korea.
The next morning, the remaining aircraft would also make their arrival to Suwon Air Base, followed by the remaining members of the squadron the next day. VMFA(AW)-224’s arrival marked the start of a momentous exercise at Suwon.
“VMFA(AW)-224 came to Suwon Air Base to conduct a detachment for training as part of our unit deployment program,” said U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Zachary Mills, a pilot with VMFA(AW)-224.
Over the course of the next month, the Marine F/A-18 squadron trained with the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) to improve both of their aviation capabilities.
Known as the Fighting Bengals, VMFA(AW)-224 deployed from Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Beaufort, South Carolina, to MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, in March 2024 as part of the Marine Corps’ Unit Deployment Program (UDP). The UDP is designed to provide continental United States-based units with overseas training and familiarity with foreign areas. VMFA(AW)-224 is currently augmenting the F-35B Lightning II and KC-130J Super Hercules aircraft squadrons of MAG-12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, at MCAS Iwakuni. VMFA(AW)-224s augment is providing MAG-12 with the unique capabilities of the F/A-18 Hornet.
“One of the most impressive things in this whole exercise is that we flew roughly 80 pallets of gear into Osan Air Base, and within eight hours had all that cargo unloaded in Suwon Air Base via Korean tractor trailer support,” said Mills. “In a three-day period, we moved the entire squadron from Iwakuni, Japan, a Marine Corps Air Station, to Suwon Air Base, a Republic of Korea Air Base, for the first time ever, and it worked flawlessly.”
Earlier in their deployment, VMFA(AW)-224 operated out of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, during Cope North 24 and now out of Suwon Air Base, which provided them a diverse set of experiences while operating in the Indo-Pacific region.
“Our squadron coming out here to Suwon is a historic exercise. There's never been a Marine F/A-18 squadron to come out to this airfield,” said Mills. “One of the missions of VMFA(AW)-224 coming out here is to assess the feasibility for follow-on detachments to Suwon Air Base.”
Suwon Air Base has an abundant history, having been established during the Korean War. U.S. Forces have been present on the base for years, including different units from the U.S. Air Force both during and after the war. However, in recent years, the air base has not seen a U.S. detachment of this size.
“For historical context, Suwon has an extremely rich past, it's been around for 70 years, so when you look back all the way, there's obviously been a larger American presence here in the past, but we don't have all that data,” explained U.S. Air Force Capt. Austin Stamper, 607th Materiel Maintenance, Squadron Detachment 2 commander, and one of the lead coordinators for lining up the space, time, and equipment to allow the air base to have the capabilities to support the Marines and their training. “So as far, as exercises go and specifically exercises for the coalition and the alliance, this is the largest one we've had.”
Over the past year, Suwon AB personnel have been working to participate in more integrated exercises and host different branches for training opportunities. “We started back in the fall of last year. We had a combined flying training exercise which included 25 additional Air Force personnel,” said Stamper. “Next, we worked with the Marines and were able to get participation in the Korean Marine Exchange Program in the springtime, having about 88 personnel out here, we then stair-stepped up to what we are doing today with a squadron of around 260 personnel operating out here.”
In hosting the Fighting Bengals, the U.S. Air Force 607th MMS in Suwon aimed to prove integration capabilities with the ROKAF.
“The Marines being able to accomplish their goal and deploying the entire squadron here proves our ability to host large scale contingents of personnel here on Suwon and our capacity to support inbound forces that integrate closely with the Koreans,” said Stamper.
“Being able to work with the ROKAF was one of the primary missions of us coming out here,” said Mills. “Another one was to foster and generate relationships with the South Koreans while simultaneously conducting joint air operations.”
Service members with VMFA(AW)-224, 607th MMS, and the ROKAF 10th Fighter Wing worked together to plan flight operations, training together, and work autonomously in the same spaces together.
“It is historic that we have conducted mission planning and joint flight operations with them,” explained Mills. “I think that the opportunity to come here to Suwon has fostered a greater understanding of the tactics, techniques, and procedures that the American forces have and that the Korean forces have, and more insight into some of our capabilities as well. There's a lot we have in common.”
“By executing the mission with U.S. F/A-18 pilots, we could advance to the next level of the ROK-U.S. Alliance's operational capabilities,” said ROKAF Capt. Young Hyun Jo, a pilot with the 19 Fighter Wing 155 Squadron. “As a member of the storied ROK-US Alliance, we will continue to do our best to complete our mission with pride.”
| Date Taken: | 08.23.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.26.2024 03:56 |
| Story ID: | 479282 |
| Location: | SUWON AIR BASE, GYEONGGIDO [KYONGGI-DO], KR |
| Web Views: | 215 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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