OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Red Flag-Alaska is a Pacific Air Forces-directed exercise conducted multiple times each year. This iteration brought more than 70 aircraft and 1,500 servicemembers from across the DoD, as well as participants from Belgium, the Republic of Korea, and Japan.
“RF-A exercises act as a deterrent to our adversaries and proof that we, along with our allies and partners, are prepared for the next fight,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Trevor Birr, 353rd Combat Training Squadron (CTS) Red Flag-Alaska 25-2 team chief. “We also demonstrate our ability to plan and execute from multiple geographic locations, which is crucial in the Indo-Pacific region.”
Exercise participants are organized into “Red” defensive forces, “Blue” offensive forces, and “White” neutral observing agencies. While there, participants trained to a variety of mission-sets such as defensive counter-air, dynamic targeting, and close air support.
Participants integrated with key partners from around the world, enhancing allied interoperability and developing new skills while operating in a realistic simulated threat environment.
“The CTS takes the lessons learned to continuously modernize and improve Red Flag-Alaska,” Birr said. “This year, we have taken the joint and combined training to the next level, integrating with key partners against more modern, realistic threats.”
Exercises like RF-A provide countless benefits to 51st Fighter Wing personnel, better enabling the Mustangs to defend the Korean peninsula against any adversarial threat.
“RF-A provides the Fighter Squadron with access to expansive airspace, joint assets, and mission sets we simply can’t replicate at home station,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Brittany Dippel, 36th Fighter Squadron assistant director of operations. “The scale and realism of the exercise enabled us to train to the full extent of our tactics, techniques, and procedures. It’s an opportunity to push our capabilities in a high-end fight, ensuring that when called upon, we’re ready to fight tonight.”
RF-A 25-2 provided especially valuable training to the 36th Fighter Squadron, allowing them to continue their history of bilateral training with the ROKAF, honing their interoperability in RF-A’s dynamic environment.
“One of my biggest takeaways is learning to coordinate with aircraft executing unfamiliar mission sets—sometimes flown by international partners. These joint operations sharpen my communication skills and reinforce the importance of adaptive leadership,” said Dippel. “Commanding missions in such a dynamic setting is one of the most valuable experiences RF-A offers.”
As a PACAF-directed exercise, RF-A 25-2 is designed to improve interoperability through combat scenarios that reflect real-world challenges, supporting PACAF’s strategic objective of building combat-ready forces capable of projecting power and deterring aggression in the region.
“The scenarios at RF-A are purposefully designed to mirror our adversaries’ most dangerous courses of action. These missions challenge the entire team – from pilots, to intel, to targeteers—to stay sharp and tactically current,” Dippel said. “RF-A ensures that we’re constantly learning and evolving, better preparing us for the threats of tomorrow.”