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Eagle Flag 08-6's deployed leadership recalls completing successful exercise

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Julius Delos Reyes
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  More than 400 Airmen from across the Air Force deployed to participate and support Air Force Exercise Eagle Flag 08-6 at Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst, N.J., from mid- to late-September.

Their mission was to build the fictional 421st Air Expeditionary Group and provide close-air support operations in support of the Global War on Terrorism as well as airlift for humanitarian relief operations to a tsunami-stricken nation known as Chimaera.

Eagle Flag, managed by the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center's 421st Combat Training Squadron at Fort Dix, N.J., tests and trains Airmen in expeditionary combat support skills. It also requires a deployed commander to create a cohesive team of Airmen who mostly have never worked together before and at the same time react to a number of scenarios.

"Our mission was open an air base quickly, establish a command and control structure for launching 24-hour, day and night air operations," said Col. Darrell Riggs, 95th Mission Support Group commander. "We had to set up communications and build a tent city while establishing relationships with the host nation, including the local military and citizens."

For five years, since October 2003, Eagle Flag has been designed as an air base-opening exercise designed to train Air Force expeditionary combat support elements to plan and execute air and space power anywhere on the globe. "More specifically, it is for a bare-base environment," Colonel Riggs added.

Maj. Gen. Kip Self, Expeditionary Center commander, said the exercise Eagle Flag is an opportunity to "prepare today's Airman for tomorrow's fight."

"During the exercise, we have more than 400 expeditionary combat support Airmen who prepare for what may come as a contingency in the United States or overseas, General Self said. "We prepare them for both options. It's an opportunity to take everyone who comes to Eagle Flag, give them the basic skills they need to do contingency operations and win."

Throughout the exercise, Colonel Riggs said cadre from the 421st CTS injected numerous scenarios that tested their capabilities.

"The scenarios were designed to throw you off-balance," Colonel Riggs said. "It's about being innovative and being able to adapt to constantly changing circumstances. It was set up to test every element of the group -- leadership and the day-to-day activities."

Setting up the deployed team of 400-plus Airman packed it's own brand of challenges, said Chief Master Sgt. Andrew Hollis, 95th MSG superintendent and deployed command chief for the exercise.

"We had to move fast, however, we wanted to set the right tone for everybody," said Chief Hollis said. "We knew we had to quickly come together and act as a team to get the mission done. We went there assuming the experts knew how to do their jobs, and that assumption was correct. Leadership focus was on our team's mindset. "

Chief Hollis added the team's success was achieved through effective communication, teamwork and leadership.

"We, as leadership, let our expectations be known early on," he said. "Colonel Riggs and I took personal responsibility for everyone being enthusiastic and having a positive attitude. We would not tolerate anything less.

"We also made sure our people were focused and prepared to get out of their comfort zone and make the necessary adjustments," Chief Hollis said. "We were consistent in making sure our team's mindset was in the right frame."

Colonel Riggs said teamwork was the most critical component to achieve success of their final mission objectives for the exercise.

"We took Airmen from multiple wings across the Air Force who had never worked together before," Colonel Riggs said. "They came to a no-kidding austere environment to perform a time-sensitive mission. The only way we successfully accomplished it was by coming together as a team and recognizing everyone's contributions, strengths and weaknesses."

(Editor's note: Eagle Flag was first established in 2003 as the first Air Force chief of staff-directed exercise to test and train Airmen in expeditionary combat support skills. Over the course of five years, it has formed one of the foundation blocks for training in the Expeditionary Center coinciding with their motto, "Airpower ... From the Ground Up!")