GULFPORT, Miss. – As the Sentry-South Southern Strike exercise roared over the Gulf Coast and south Mississippi January 26 – February 6, 2025, an unassuming building at Combat Readiness Training Center Gulfport was at the center of the action.
The Combat Training Systems building is colloquially called the LMOC for “Live Mission Operations Capability.”
As the Southern Strike exercise simulated an air war in which U.S. forces engaged a hostile near-peer enemy, LMOC Airmen served as the training staff, refereeing “hits” and “misses,” while ensuring maximum safety standards for all parties involved.
“We exist to facilitate training of our local fighting squadrons,” said Capt. Erin Wallen, officer in charge of the LMOC. “In addition to providing shot adjudication in air-to-air engagement, the LMOC controls the training environment using six threat emitters along the gulf coast. These emitters replicate adversary surface to air threat systems, teaching pilots to detect the threat then decide whether to avoid, suppress, or destroy the enemy’s capability.”
F-15 Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 40th Flight Test Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, and F-35 Lightning IIs from the 187th Fighter Wing, Montgomery, Alabama, conducted offensive counter-air and defensive counter-air missions over the WHODAT restricted airspace complex over the Gulf.
F-5 Tiger II aircraft flown by Fighter Squadron Composite 204, a United States Navy Reserve squadron based in New Orleans, Louisiana, played the role of enemy fighter aircraft during the air war exercise.
As the scenario progressed, the simulated air war moved northward and utilized the Shelby DeSoto/Bullseye military operations area over Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center.
“The support systems provided by the CRTC, specifically the LMOC, are vital to executing complex training scenarios in the air-to-air arena,” said Maj. Lucas St. Laurent, combat air forces planner for the Southern Strike Exercise. “These capabilities are critical to ensuring accurate training for aircrews using simulated weapons.”
While LMOC personnel oversaw the Southern Strike air war training missions, the 255th Air Control Squadron, also located in Gulfport, participated in the exercise by providing combat command and control of the participating fighter jets and mobility aircraft.
“During the Southern Strike exercise, the 255th ACS assisted fighters in the mission planning process and controlled fighters during mission execution by providing awareness of the airspace to include both threats and targets,” said Capt. Thomas Arnold, an Air Battle Manager assigned to the 255th ACS. “As a traditional guardsman, it is important to have training exercises like Southern Strike, because this provides a more holistic and realistic mission planning and execution environment than is available during a typical drill weekend.”
As the United States Department of Defense transitions from fighting asymmetric wars in the Middle East and prepares for peer and near-peer adversaries across the globe, the LMOC trainers and 255th ACS controllers in Gulfport serve an essential role ensuring mission preparedness and success.
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| Date Taken: | 02.07.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.07.2025 13:38 |
| Story ID: | 490341 |
| Location: | MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Web Views: | 24 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, CRTC Gulfport Supports Sentry-South Southern Strike, by 1st Lt. Harrison Matheny, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
