Airman culture key to Exercise Salitre success

  • Published
  • By Capt. Nathan D. Broshear
  • 12th Air Force Public Affairs
ANTOFAGASTA, Chile (AFNS) --  Exercise Salitre ended Oct. 30 with a total force effort of nearly 200 active-duty and Air National Guard Airmen representing five U.S. bases, and supporting coalition efforts to strengthen regional military ties and interoperability. 

The exercise, hosted by the Chilean air force integrated Airmen from Chile, the United States, Argentina, Brazil and France into one air force.

The experience was not without its challenges, but by relying on a common airman culture, the combined force adapted to a coalition environment and successfully coordinated command and control to wage an air campaign. For example, French airborne warning and control aircraft choreographed U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagles and Chilean air force F-16s, Chilean air force pararescue jumpers parachuted from a U.S. Air Force HC-130 Hercules, and a French KC-135 refueled Argentinean A-4s and Brazilian A-1s.

"Salitre was a great opportunity for the United States Air Force to practice working with their counterparts from France and across South America," said Col. Bryan Bearden, the 12th Air Force director of operations and exercise director for U.S. Air Force participation in Sthe exercise. "I fully believe that the exercise successes can be attributed to the outstanding caliber of professional Airmen from every country being represented here. By training together with a mutual commitment, we can better respond to a real-world crisis or integrate into United Nations peacekeeping operations as a unified team in the future."

The exercise scenario pitted coalition forces against rogue military forces conducting military operations against civilians on a fictional island.
The first goal was to stop military action against innocent civilians and the second was to provide humanitarian assistance to the population. The entire scenario, which was designed to test interoperability between the five participating nations, tested two major arenas: air operations and command and control.

Participating U.S. aircraft and units included:
-- One HC-130 from the 71st Rescue Squadron at Moody Air Force Base, Ga.
-- Two KC-135 Stratotankers from the Arizona Air National Guard's 197th Air Refueling Squadron from Phoenix, Ariz.
-- Six F-15s and a C-130 from the Louisiana Air National Guard's 122nd Fighter Squadron from New Orleans.
-- 22 Air Forces Southern Air Operations Center and support personnel from Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
-- Two airfield communications technicians with the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron from Hurlburt Field, Fla.

The F-15 aircrews played the role of "blue air" out of Cerro Moreno Air Base in Antofagasta. Their mission was to gain air superiority over the "red air" of fictional rogue forces based out of Los Condores Air Base in Iquique. In addition, the C-130 aircrew provided tactical airlift support during the exercise. The five aircrew and two maintainers shuttled personnel and equipment from Louisiana, and after arriving in Chile, immediately set to work making sure the right people were in the right places. They flew numerous sorties during the exercise, including a last-minute mission to Santiago to retrieve a critical fuel system part for an F-15.

The KC-135 aircrews provided aerial refueling for not only U.S. Air Force F-15s, but also Chilean air force F-16s. Without mid-air refueling, the range of fighters is limited, severely hampering air interdiction and security capability. 

For Master Sgt. Jeff Swab, a 30-year crew chief, the common culture was easily recognizable. 

The hospitality, mission support and ability to integrate successfully all falls back into the theme of "one team, one fight," he said, where the mission of keeping aircraft flying bridges any obstacle during combined operations.

"Airplanes are airplanes," Sergeant Swab said. "The Chilean air force have an extremely high standard of maintenance; their dedication and devotion to duty are right up there. I think that's why we integrate so well together. Both services are very similar. The only difference is geographic location. We are still all maintainers; a tight-knit, strong family."

The tanker aircrews and maintenance personnel even took time out to visit a local school in Alto Hospicia. Two days later, the unit collected money to rent a bus and invited the same children to the base for a tour of Chilean and American air force aircraft.