JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM -- Airmen, Soldiers and Sailors joined forces for Warrior Day June 23 to demonstrate the cooperation and capabilities of total force integration here.
This mission, which involved support from various agencies, multiple Air Force wings, and personnel from Special Operations Command, Pacific, marked the largest C-17 Globemaster formation ever generated by the 15th Wing.
The local exercise designed to demonstrate the ability to generate a large package of aircraft for forcible entry operations in the Pacific, involved seven C-17s, four F-22s, Air Force and Navy radar controllers, operators from SOCPAC, and Army personnel from the Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island of Hawai’i.
“Warrior Day is a unique opportunity to integrate many different platforms into a single fighting force,” said Capt. Reed Southard, C-17 Mission Planning Cell chief. “It allows us to hone our ability to strike anywhere in the world if required with seamless coordination between a wide range of fighting units.”
Lt. Col. Scott Raleigh, 535th Airlift Squadron commander, says that this Warrior Day was particularly important because of its primary focus of units, platforms and services integration.
“The biggest significance was showcasing the diverse capabilities of our local wings,” he said. “We have the world’s greatest fifth generation fighter in the F-22 that is stationed together with the reach provided by KC-135s and the strategic legs and tactical airlift capabilities of the C-17. This small demonstration of integration highlights our ability to maintain air dominance and get boots on the ground to secure or resupply targets of our choosing in dynamic threat environments.”
This Warrior day was created to represent a challenging and realistic threat that demands service integration that is anticipated in future conflicts.
“We aimed to leverage the air dominance of the F-22 to neutralize dynamic threats and the global reach of the C-17 to deliver personnel and equipment into an airfield via airdrop and air/land infiltration operations,” Raleigh said. “This Warrior Day set a foundation that will enable us to incorporate more aircraft, units and more complex scenarios in the near future. The integration of so many participants is a capability that requires consistent effort and training to gain a desired proficiency.”
Southard says that overall, the mission was a success.
“We certainly were able to generate many lessons learned to carry forward in future exercises or combat, but the bottom line is that we demonstrated an ability to deliver men and equipment in a denied environment with speed and precision,” he said.
Raleigh attributes the success of the mission to all of the agencies that assisted.
“Maintenance did a phenomenal job producing aircraft and it is not easy to generate seven C-17s at the same time,” he said. “Intel was fantastic throughout planning and execution, with involvement in the threat scenario, threat updates, mission brief, and mission reports. The support from agencies such as weather, Aircrew Flight Equipment, and current operations, to name just a few, highlight the roles that our Airmen play in executing air power.”
This year’s Warrior Day proved the ability of the seven ship formation to land 700,000 pounds of equipment or up to 700 paratroopers.
Tech Sgt. Dominique Hawkins, a C-17 loadmaster in charge of loading, rigging, and dropping a Container Delivery System bundle during Warrior Day, said his favorite part of the training was ensuring the Mission Essential Personnel were allowed to fly as passengers and observe the ground and inflight operations. Members of the command post, 535th Airlift Squadron Aircrew Resource Management, 15th Operational Support Squadron and Aircraft Maintenance Squadron flew in the sortie as observers.
“I’m always excited to demonstrate and explain the capabilities of the C-17 to members who may not be familiar with the weapon system,” he said. “I feel this broadens their view of the support functions and how vital their specific job is when supporting the aircrews.”
This was the third annual 15th Wing Warrior Day held to conduct in-air training that tests the cooperation and capabilities of multiple agencies.