Airpower brings unique capability to U.S., Korean exercise

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Alice Moore
  • U.S. Air Forces Korea Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea (AFPN) --  Ensuring peace and stability throughout the region takes a solid relationship between Republic of Korea airmen and the U.S. Airmen here -- one cannot accomplish the mission without the other.

This month, Airmen in Korea are testing this relationship through Exercises Key Resolve and Foal Eagle. These Airmen represent each of the six components charged with the responsibility of defending the peninsula, which include the Ground Component Command, Naval Component Command, Combined Marine Component Command, Combined Unconventional Warfare Task Force, Combined Psychological Operations Task Force and Air Component Command.

"The Air Component Command is unique because it operates throughout the entire Korean theater of operations," said Brig. Gen. Harold Moulton, 7th Air Force vice commander and Combined Air Staff director. "Combat power delivered from air, space and cyberspace can affect the battlespace at any location in Korea, at anytime. We, the air component, fly, fight, and win with our joint and combined partners all over Korea."

ACC accomplishes its combat mission through air superiority; attack; intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR); tankers and airlift; command and control; missile defense and cyberspace operations.

"Air power brings incredible force projection capability because we can strike very deep behind enemy lines, we can hold a large area at risk and we're also very flexible and very responsive," said Col. Rob Kyrouac, 607th Air and Space Operations Center (AOC), chief of combat operations division.

Along with strike capabilities, ISR provides situational awareness and predictive analysis to all components in armistice and contingency operations, said Col. David  Johnson, 607th AOC ISR division chief.

"ISRD teams work closely with their ROKAF counterparts to support continuing armistice and contingency operations," he said.

ISR division is broken up into three areas -- ISR operations, analysis, correlation and fusion, and targeting and tactical assessment. 

The ISR operations team vectors collection efforts and funnels AOC and wing requests for information to the appropriate agencies. The analysis, correlation and fusion team focuses on support to flying units and predictive threat awareness for the 607th AOC, its liaison elements and the 7th Air Force leadership. The targeting and tactical assessment team provides vital targeting, weaponeering and combat assessment to the 7th Air Force, United States Forces Korea and Combined Forces Command.

"It (air power) brings an incredible amount of power to bear when you have the pairing of the amazing ROKAF with the U.S. Air Force and all that we bring together as well as that of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps," Colonel Kyrouac said. 

During a contingency, ROK and U.S. Service components conduct air operations from the operations floor, or "pit floor," located inside the Hardened Theater Air Control Center (HTACC) or Korea Air and Space Operations Center." 

The "pit floor" is populated with people across the spectrum of specialties and service components across an entire spectrum where operational-level decisions take place, Colonel Kyrouac said. He also said the "pit floor" has component liaisons such as a large battle-field coordination detachment from the United States and Republic of Korea that brings coordination from the ground component commander to the "pit floor," allowing full integration of air and space power into ROK-US ground and sea operations. 

Communication is vital. With the level of operational work to be done, seamless operations must take place between militaries of both countries. 

"Due to the effects of globalization, most young officers as well as most people in general are rather familiar with the English language," said ROKAF Col. Park Jong Sam, chief of ROKAF combat operations. At the same time the things that we coordinate between the Republic of Korea and the U.S. on the 'pit floor' are directly related to our war efforts, as well as operations, so if we are to misunderstand or say the wrong thing, that could have some serious consequences."

Colonel Park said there are instances when time could be lost due to translation efforts, but professional translators are used to prevent any type of serious consequences. 

"For the simple things, we coordinate between the ROK and U.S. counterparts without translation, but during significant issues, we make sure that we utilize our translators," Colonel Park said.

With the level of operations going on here, officials said working together hand-in-hand adds value to the mission of ensuring peace and stability to the region.

"I'm very proud of the fact that I'm working in an environment where the Republic of Korea and the United States are coordinating together everyday," Colonel Park said. "Working side by side with U.S. counterparts I'm sure will raise my personal worth as well."

Colonel Kyrouac said working together with the ROKAF has been a positive experience and necessary to accomplish the mission.

"The working relationship we have is so solid," Colonel Kyrouac said. "Yes we have different cultural backgrounds and different language backgrounds, but it amazes me how seamlessly and how easily we work together on the 'pit floor.' There's no way we could do this without each other."

"Key Resolve is special because we get the opportunity to do something you can't do very often. We put together all the elements of airpower at the operational level of war," General Moulton said. 

Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link) 

View the comments/letters page