Transcript

[Narrator] After months of hard work and strategic planning, Blue Flag 2019 has come to an end. 250 airmen stationed at Spangdahlm Airbase, left the comforts of home to work in an (mumbles) location. Learning what it takes to work under pressure with several different nations.

Blue Flag is a great opportunity for us to come together with other partner nations and to train the things that we don’t normally get to train to you when we’re training at home. It allows us to inter con activity between our different system types. This one in particular is looking at Lincoln fourth-generation to fifth-generation fighters, as well as looking how we can use the Link 16 capabilities to connect both NATO and non-NATO players under the same interconnected network.

[Narrator] In addition to learning to integrate across generations of aircraft, participants in the exercise learn to operate across cultures.

There are two things which I’d like to point out. First, our host nation is a non-NATO member. So, normally you go to exercise where everybody is a NATO member. Here you can see how host nations, like the Israeli Air Force, operate and conduct mission. And that is really, really interesting for us. Second, normally on exercises you have huge airspace. Here the airspace is limited. In the airspace, things will happen quick and clear to trust your game plan in the air multiple times.

[Narrator] The lessons learned and relationships formed at Blue Flag, help make our Air Force better.

In the dedication and the energy that each and every one of the airmen here has had is amazing. And additionally, they’ve really reached to not just the host nation, Israel, but all the other partners here. And really started to form those relationships and those bonds at all levels, which are going to be critical when we come back together if we need to fight a war.

[Narrator] I’m Airman First Class, Alex Miller. Ovda Airbase is real.
Narrator- Airman 1st Class Alex Miller
First interview subject- Colonel David Epperson (52nd FW Base Commander)
Second interview subject- Lt Col Manuel Last (71st FW Pilot)