One force, one fight

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Aubrey White
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEMYOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  Airmen from the 414th Fighter Group, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., took Total Force Integration (TFI) to another level by teaming with aircrew assigned to the 482nd Fighter Wing, Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla., during the final phase of the F-15E Strike Eagle Basic Course.

The F-15E Strike Eagle Basic Course is the fundamental course for pilots and weapon systems officers (WSO) to receive certification to fly and navigate the F-15E Strike Eagle.

According to Maj. Chad Shenk, 307th Fighter Squadron pilot, Seymour Johnson AFB, students are assigned to either the 333rd or 334th FS and will complete nine months of training both in the classroom and in the aircraft before being certified aviators.

"We'll start off with just teaching them how to fly the airplane from point A to point B," Shenk said. "We'll teach them how to perform air-to-air engagements, how to bomb using air-to-surface tactics and at the end, give them surface attack training (SAT), which is their [final] exercise before graduation. The SAT basically ties all of their training together and integrates other assets to make it as close to what they'll see in combat as possible."

During the last two weeks of the course, students typically visit other bases, such as Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., for their SAT. However, due to budget restrictions as a result of sequestration, instructors needed to find other ways to fulfill the training necessity.

"Here, we have total force integration," said Lt. Col. Christopher Freeman, 414th FG deputy commander. "The 414th FG, a reserve fighter group, is integrated into the 4th FW for support. Our mission is to help train the active duty aircrew members by using full and part-time reservists who fly and teach at the training squadrons, and maintainers who repair the aircraft. [The relationship] results in money saved while also capitalizing on the reservists' knowledge and expertise."

Active and reserve forces integrated once again to combat their fiscally challenging environment. This time, the students and 482nd FW reservists trained together using different weapon systems and tactics, all-while mitigating costs to the base.

Instead of traveling to another base, 482nd FW F-16 pilots came to Seymour Johnson AFB to act as adversaries for the training, using funds already allocated for reservists' travel.

According to Shenk, one of the good things about the base's location is the airspace over the Atlantic Ocean and the Dare County Bombing Ranges, which allow for the use of less restricted fighting techniques. Shenk hopes for other units across the United States will view this type of training as an incentive to come here.

"[This SAT] was a great opportunity, especially as a young Airman, to experience the capabilities of the F-16 and incorporate them into our training," said 1st Lt. Clint Lecher, 336th FS WSO currently in Mission Qualification Training. "The members of the 482nd FW were professional, knowledgeable and eager to share their tactical experience in order to enhance our overall training and make us better aviators."

By taking full advantage of the working affiliation between active duty members and reservists, the 414th FG hopes to continue to save money when possible, while supporting the training requirements of everyone involved.