Photo By Senior Airman Maria Umanzor Guzman | An F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft takes off from the flight line during Freedom Shield...... read more read more
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KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea – The 8th Fighter Wing continues to sharpen its warfighting edge during Freedom Shield 25, reaffirming its ability to generate airpower simultaneously from multiple locations in support of air component objectives March 10-21, 2025.
“The Wolf Pack’s primary focus area during Freedom Shield is to prove our ability to exercise and operate effectively in contested and high-threat environments and to seamlessly integrate and align with higher headquarters for rapid and effective operations,” said Chief Master Sgt. Nathan Chrestensen, 8th Fighter Wing Command Chief.
FS 25 expanded upon lessons learned during January’s readiness exercise, Beverly-Pack 25-1, through the lens of six focus areas: executing agile combat employment (ACE), evaluating the ability to survive and operate, validating defense plans, assessing command, control, communications, computers and intelligence capabilities, and generating and sustaining combat airpower.
A significant advancement of this exercise was a shift towards proactive preparedness when receiving warning orders as opposed to being reactionary.
“Instead of passively awaiting further instructions, we now immediately initiate preparatory actions, such as communication checks, walk arounds, establishing communication lines with HHQ, and equipment inspections,” said Chrestensen. “This proactive approach, contrasting with the previous ‘holding pattern’ observed in past exercises, ensures we remain ahead of the curve and ready for immediate action if and when we’re called upon to execute.”
As a result, the speed with which the Wolf Pack sent cargo, personnel, and aircraft to a forward location was significantly shorter than January’s exercise.
“We’ve spent over 100 hours providing training to our deployment managers and increment monitors leading up to the ACE movement to ensure a seamless process to rapidly deploy," said Lt. Col. Micah Telmo, 8th Logistics Readiness Squadron commander. "We deployed about four hours faster than the previous exercise."
When working in a contested, degraded, and operationally limited environments, it’s not uncommon for joint force operations to take place.
FS 25 also included the integration of over 300 U.S. Marines temporarily operating at Kunsan AB, allowing for joint training with the Wolf Pack’s security forces, logistics readiness, and civil engineer and force support squadrons.
Hosting the large population of Marines validated the Wolf Pack’s ability to be a hub for follow-on forces, enabling augmented airpower and joint knowledge through shared assets and training.
“I like that we have a dual role here working joint operations, I think that it gives us good training and opportunities to work together, and it helps us better our craft, whether we're forward deployed or if we're back and working in the same station,” said U.S. Marine Gunnery Sgt. Martin Krist, Aircraft Rescue Firefighting assistant chief of training.
Whether deploying to a forward location, flying sorties, repairing runways, or securing the base, every Wolf Pack member made Freedom Shield 25 a success—further cementing the 8th Fighter Wing’s role as a forward-edge force, prepared to protect regional stability and project power across the Peninsula in partnership with the Republic of Korea.
“I’m incredibly proud of the Wolf Pack’s progress in such a short time. In just nine months, we’ve powered through five exercises, transforming from a crawl to a confident sprint,” said Chrestensen.
| Date Taken: | 03.24.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.24.2025 23:15 |
| Story ID: | 493535 |
| Location: | KR |
| Web Views: | 85 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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