Reserve, active-duty Airmen participate in massive NATO exercise

  • Published
  • By Shawn J. Jones
  • 514th Air Mobility Wing public affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  Seven C-17 Globemaster IIIs, flying non-stop from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, air dropped more than 500 paratroopers into northeast Spain Nov. 4 in a statement of America's ability to put war-power when and where it is needed.

The air drop served as one of the final events of two overlapping training exercises, NATO's Trident Juncture and U.S. Transportation Command's Ultimate Reach, and it couldn't have happened without the contributions of Reserve Airmen.

To fly from North Carolina to Spain without landing to refuel, the C-17s called upon eight KC-10 Extenders, which launched from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, to provide in-flight refueling. Two of the eight tankers were flown by Citizen Airmen of the 76th and 78th Air Refueling Squadron.

Eight KC-10s meeting seven C-17s thousands of feet above an ocean in the darkness of night is not a typical day at the office, even for tanker crews who make a career of flying with only about 30-feet of a refueling boom separating their tanker from their "customer's" aircraft.

"Putting 15 airplanes into such tight air space is challenging," said Col. Robert Dunham, 514th Operations Group commander. "Executing this well-orchestrated maneuver requires a foundation built from many hours of planning and training and effective interoperability between service members from multiple units."

An exercise of this scope also places many demands upon Reserve and active-duty aircraft maintainers, but Dunham said they didn't miss a beat and were instrumental to mission's success.

The ability to execute the challenging exercise demonstrates how KC-10s are vital to one of the Air Force's core competencies -rapid global mobility, which is the ability to project power quickly and decisively anywhere on the globe. Without KC-10 in-flight refueling, the C-17s would have had to land to refuel, causing the loss of what could be precious hours in a real time-sensitive military operation.

"When we are able to execute such complex, large-scale training exercises, world leaders take notice," Dunham said. "Our ability to project power is unmatched. We can put American and allied forces anywhere on the face of the earth."

Col. David Pavey, 514th Air Mobility Wing commander, said the success of the exercise sends a strong message.

"The whole world was watching, including our friends in NATO, who were given reassurance of American capability and resolve, and other people who may not be so thrilled about the capability and resolve we displayed."

While the contribution of many American and allied units contributed to the success of the mission, Pavey said he was especially pleased with how his Reserve Airmen worked alongside active-duty Airmen of Joint Base MDL's 305th Air Mobility Wing and KC-10 crews from Travis Air Force Base, California.

"As a team, they did an outstanding job," he said. "'Seamless integration' is an oft-used cliché, but the role played by 514th Airmen, both in the air and on the ground, exemplified seamless integration with their active-duty partners."

Trident Juncture was NATO's largest exercise in more than a decade. More than 36,000 personnel from more than 30 nations, including more than 5,000 U.S. service members, participated in the exercise.