Airmen play ‘bad guys’ in Alaska

  • Published
  • By Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Gabriel R. Owens
  • Northern Edge Joint Information Bureau
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (AFPN) --  Almost every military exercise needs "bad guys," and Airmen from the 390th Fighter Squadron are playing that role for Alaska Command's premiere joint training event, Northern Edge '04.

More than 160 Department of Defense aircraft are involved in the exercise, including F-15 Eagles from the 390th FS at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho.

"We've been planning for months," said Lt. Col. Rick Hedgpeth, the 390th's operations officer.

Playing the "bad guys" requires a different approach, Colonel Hedgpeth said.

"We have to plan new objectives, as we can't use our standard tactics or weapons," he said. "We have to think like the enemy."

The main focus of planning aggressor tactics is improving the tactical abilities of the U.S. military.

"We have to challenge them," Colonel Hedgpeth said. "We have to be the best 'bad guys' we can."

One of the biggest challenges posed to the pilots is staying safe.

Safety is the No. 1 concern of the exercise, Alaska Command officials said. Nothing done in the exercise warrants the unnecessary risk of serious injury or death to any person involved in the exercise.

"With so many aircraft in the air, it can be tough maintaining safe distances and altitudes," said Maj. John Binder, the 390th's chief of wing plans and one of the aggressor pilots.

After weeks of briefings about his nemeses, Major Binder said he was ready to plan his attacks.

"I pretty much have free reign with my use of tactics in the air," he said. "How I choose to attack my 'enemy' is up to me."

Many aspects of what the exercise was meant to accomplish have worked well, Major Binder said.

He said he has "died every time" he has flown, which gives a good indication that the aviation fighting techniques of the U.S. military are working.

Northern Edge '04 is a fully integrated and large-scale joint training exercise, involving more than 9,000 Airmen, Sailors, Marines, Soldiers and Coast Guardsmen worldwide.